Viral Content

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Does This Grandma Want You to Share Her Photo to Mark Her 100th Birthday?

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On January 7, 2019, the Facebook page “Animals & Nature” shared a seemingly wholesome plea on the part of the purported poster’s 100-year-old grandma: Alongside the purported centenarian’s image, a caption pleaded: Today’s is my Grandma’s 100th Birthday. She requested me to post her pic on Internet to get some good wishes. [heart emoji, angel …

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Did Banks Collect $30 Billion in Overdraft Fees in 2018?

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In January 2019, the following meme appeared on social media about overdraft fees collected by banks: The meme read: Banks collected over $30 billion in overdraft fees last year. Another way of saying that, banks took $30,000,000,000 from people who had no money. That statement is not exclusive to the image reproduced here; it appeared in …

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Do Democrats Pay The $5 Billion Wall Cost Every 10 Days to ‘Subsidize’ Illegal Immigration?

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On January 4, 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based post to a public group: It stated: Democrats pay what Trump is asking for the wall every 10 days to subsidize illegal aliens. Let that sink in. #SocialistClowns The status update was shared during the 2018-2019 government shutdown, which rested largely on United States President …

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Are Deaths Listed in a ‘2018 Muslim Threat’ Tweet Accurate?

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On January 1, 2019, civil rights lawyer and podcast host Qasim Rashid, Esq. tweeted a purported breakdown of the so-called “Muslim threat” relative to other risks to Americans in 2018: 2018 Recap of the “Muslim threat” Americans killed by: •Americans w/guns: 40,000 •Falling out of bed: 700 •Hit by bus: 260 •Lawnmowers: 70 •Lightning: 30 …

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Is a Tweet Contrasting American and Japanese Generations Accurate?

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On December 22, 2018, the Facebook page Ethan Berk shared an image referencing baby boomers, older people in Japan, and the attitudes of the two groups: The image involved several components, including commentary at the top, a purported tweet from BBC News, and subsequent remarks made in reference to the tweet. Together, it read: North …

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Is ‘Bandersnatch’ a Real Game?

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Netflix released Black Mirror standalone special “Bandersnatch,” which featured an interactive “choose your own adventure” style plot, on December 28, 2018. Immediately, viewers began dissecting its elements — chief among them claims that the story was (at least in part) based on real-life events. “Bandersnatch” follows a young British video game designer named Stefan who begins to …

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