In January 2019, various posts appeared in myriad Facebook groups urging users to provide engagement with the post to avoid a purported purge of “inactive members.” Iterations of the same warning spread across Facebook groups of all types: Y’ALL, FB IS DELETING INACTIVE PEOPLE OUT OF GROUPS. IF YOU SEE THIS COMMENT AN EMOJI, PLEASE …
Is Facebook Removing Inactive Members from Groups? Read More »
On January 12 2019, a Facebook user added the caption “The Swan embracing the veterinarian, who saved his life” to the photo below: Part of the image’s appeal seemed to be a long-circulating myth that swans are inherently dangerous and fond of breaking human bones. The BBC addressed the risk of handling swans in an …
Is This a Photograph of a Swan Hugging the Veterinarian Who Saved Its Life? Read More »
After Netflix’s Tidying Up with Marie Kondo debuted in January 2019, social media lit up with takes lambasting Kondo’s supposedly draconian position on the possession of books: Wait Marie Kondo is telling people to toss their books? THEIR BOOKS? was very intrigued by marie kondo’s konmari method until she got to the category of throwing out books…………. …
Did Marie Kondo Tell People They Could Only Keep Thirty Books at a Time? Read More »
In January 2019, Facebook page “The Original American Resistance” shared a meme attributing a quote to former United States Secretary of Defense James “Mad Dog” Mattis: The quote at the bottom of the image said: WHAT PISSES ME OFF IS, MY MEN DEFEND FREEDOM ALL OVER THE WORLD WITH A GUN. YET WHEN THEY GOME HOME …
In mid-January 2019, after United States President Donald Trump served visiting Clemson football players fast food in an understaffed White House during a record-breaking, ongoing government shutdown, a meme emerged with a purported quote from attendee Trevor Lawrence: Text overlaid on a photograph of Lawrence read (in all capital letters): CLEMSON QB SPEAKS OUT TO …
Did Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence Call White House Fast Food a ‘Perfect Blue Collar’ Party? Read More »
On January 6, 2019, a Facebook user shared a video of purported bugs and insect pieces she found in a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli purchased the previous night at a Walmart in Enterprise, Alabama. In the clip, the user dissects a number of raviolis next to a can of Chef Boyardee Mini Ravioli. In …
In January 2019, the Facebook page “Adult Imaginations” shared an old meme claiming that steering wheels feature raised dots in braille for blind or visually impaired drivers: The image shows raised dots on the center of a steering wheel, and says: Just realised that these little bumps on the steering wheel are in Braille so that …
Are Raised Dots on a Steering Wheel Braille for Blind Drivers? Read More »
In December 2017, the Facebook page “Historical Pictures” shared the following image: A caption read: Wedding bands that were removed from Holocaust victims prior to being executed, 1945. Each ring represents a destroyed family. Never forget. The image is genuine, and this post wasn’t the image’s first appearance on the internet, as previous iterations of the …
Is This a Photograph of Wedding Bands Removed by Nazis in Concentration Camps? Read More »
On January 7 2019, the following status update appeared on social media and quickly went viral: Caught using cell phone, or holding it while driving- $999 fine and 3 yr suspended license as of Jan.2019! Ouch…be aware folks!! No specific jurisdiction was mentioned in the post, and we were unable to find any firm or even speculative …
Can You Now Be Fined $999 for Holding a Phone in Your Car? Read More »
On January 8, 2019, the Facebook page “Weird Facts” shared the following image claim without further information: The image showed a four-lane motorway, and the text read: A man flipped off a woman while entering a Utah Freeway, and proceeded to have his middle finger shot off by her with a .357-caliber revolver. The original photograph …
Did a Woman Shoot Off a Motorist’s Middle Finger in a Utah Road Rage Incident? Read More »
