As tensions between the United States and Iran escalated in June 2019, a number of memes circulated that purportedly depicted tweets sent by Donald Trump between 2011 and 2013 — predicting that former United States …
Despite fears of “deepfake” videos and other high-tech ways disinformation could potentially proliferate in the very near future, the stories that still get the most traction are often decidedly low effort. Take, for example, the …
Have Arrest Warrants Been Issued for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama? Read More »
On June 16 2019, the Facebook page “Weird Facts” shared the following meme (archived here), about a cook and a janitor who purportedly refused to abandon the residents of a bankrupted care home: Atop an …
A headline about former First Daughter Malia Obama (archived here) depositing a suspiciously large check got a lot of traction on social media in June 2019: However, this story is suspect for two reasons. First, it …
On June 18 2019, Twitter user @johncatsjr shared the following tweet (“why I’m voting for Donald Trump in 2020”), a missive picked up by innumerable other users — along with an original misspelling: Why I’m …
‘Why I’m Voting for Donald Trump in 2020’ Twitter Meme Read More »
If you use Facebook, chances are you’ve stumbled upon the videos of Jay Shetty — perhaps the one that is very vaguely titled “Before You Judge Anyone, Watch This,” which is a parable about airport …
In June 2019 — Pride Month in the United States — the following image circulated on social media, suggesting that one of the sexual orientations added to New York City’s “Gay Street” sign was “pedosexual”: …
Does a New ‘Gay Street’ Sign Near Stonewall Include ‘Pedosexual’ in Pride? Read More »
A meme shared by the page “Explore Talent” (archived here) including several images alongside a warning about razor blades purportedly affixed to playground equipment such as slides has been circulating on social media for years: …
Razor Blades on Slides: Urban Legend or Legitimate Risk? Read More »
On June 13 2019, the Facebook page “Crafty Morning” shared the following meme (archived here), featuring an image of salad and lettuce in bags at a supermarket along with purported tips for selecting the freshest produce: …
Should You Avoid Puffy Bags of Salad or Lettuce in Favor of Flat Ones? Read More »
April 2019 saw the culmination of a months-long popular uprising in the country of Sudan, when its former president Omar al-Bashir stepped down from his post. The Sudanese military quickly took control of the country …
Scams and Hoax Accounts Proliferate on Instagram Read More »
