In early July 2019, Haile Bailey’s casting as main character Ariel in a live-action reboot of Disney’s animated film The Little Mermaid caused controversy on social media, sparking a meme about another person of color having appeared in the original animated television series from the early 1990s. In the meme linked above, what appears to be a …
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has captured the attention of the internet and its trolls, which means that memes and rumors about her are quite common — most of which seem to attribute either motives or quotes to her with no citation or evidence. One such meme, which has circulated for some time, …
After the death of YouTube gaming streamer Etika was confirmed in late June 2019, his on-and-off girlfriend Alice Pika hosted a memorial livestream on June 26 2019. Not long after, a rumor circulated on Reddit and other sites about what the appearance of a random name that was interpreted as a sign or signal from …
Did a Symbolic Random Chat Room Name Appear After Etika’s Death? Read More »
On June 26 2019, a Facebook user posted the following story about the death of their pug Zoe, urging other users to be aware of the purported danger posed by spent firework and sparkler ash: In part of the post, Copp said that Zoe had recently died, and added that the pet’s death was attributed …
On July 1 2019, the Wall Street Journal published an article reporting that Nike had canceled shipment of a planned Betsy Ross flag-themed sneaker, adding that former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick had forced the athletic wear company to do so as he found the design offensive. The New York Times followed up on the story, rehashing the claims the next day: …
Did Colin Kaepernick Force Nike to Cancel ‘Offensive’ Betsy Ross American Flag Sneakers? Read More »
Dueling protests became dueling narratives in Portland, Oregon on June 29 2019 when clashes erupted between Proud Boys attendees and anti-fascist demonstrators, quickly devolving into rumors that milkshakes thrown at one person contained one or more damaging or caustic substances — including quick-dry concrete, quicklime, and caustic chemicals. Rumors to that effect were spread by the verified Portland …
In March 2018, the Facebook page “Historical Pictures” shared the following meme (archived here), purportedly a screenshot of a Facebook post in which a woman named Emily Noel mistakes discarded drill bits for bullets: Underneath a photograph of what is clearly four drill bits, a poster named “Emily Noel” wrote: Was At the gas station …
Did a Woman on Facebook Mistake Drill Bits Discarded at a Gas Station for Bullets? Read More »
On June 9 2019, the Facebook page “No To Theocracy” shared the following meme (archived here), featuring a quote in which President Dwight Eisenhower appeared to have predicted Holocaust denial: Above a photograph skeletal human remains, text read: “Get it all on record now — get the films — get the witnesses — because somewhere …
Did Dwight Eisenhower Say Someday ‘Someone Will Claim It Never Happened’ in 1945? Read More »
A December 2018 article headlined, “Man gets plastic surgery and name change to date his ex-girlfriend after she obtains restraining order” has appeared intermittently on social media after its publication. No obvious date appeared on the apparent news story, which claimed: A New Jersey man who went to great lengths to try and win back his …
Did a Man Get Plastic Surgery and Change His Name to Circumvent a Restraining Order? Read More »
On June 26 2019, Eric Trump tweeted a meme attributing a quote about slander to the philosopher Socrates: Against an image of what appeared to be a black and white photograph of a statue of Socrates in Athens, text read: When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers. – Socrates Eric …
Did Socrates Say ‘When Debate is Lost, Slander Becomes the Tool of the Losers’? Read More »
