Is There a Gas Shortage in 2021?
Rumors of a current or imminent gas shortage spread on social media and by word of mouth.
viral tweets
A Labor Shortage in 2021? Viral ‘Signs’ Are Not Employment Data
Social media posts and images of signs about how no one wants to work are omnipresent, but low-wage jobs are not “competing with unemployment benefits.”
Signal Says Facebook Banned ‘Transparent’ Ads, Facebook Issues Denial
Secure messaging app Signal claimed that Facebook refused to run a series of ads it purchased to illustrate the depth of advertiser access to user data.
‘Senegal Pink Lake’
A viral tweet (“Senegal pink lake”) showed images of water in vibrant shades of pink.
Agriculture Workers Are Killed on the Job at a Higher Rate Than Cops,’ ‘They Make about a Third as Much Money’
A tweet contained the claim that agricultural workers are killed on the job more frequently than law enforcement officers and are paid far less money.
Sigmund Freud: ‘ …I Ascribe to the Cocaine’ Quote
A since-deleted tweet quoting Sigmund Freud on charisma he “ascribed to the cocaine” he took before a lecture circulated in screenshots.
Navajo Nation Sends PPE to India?
A tweet about the Navajo Nation sending personal protective gear to India was popular across platforms.
What is an ‘Apology Dinner’?
Two back-to-back posts on the same subreddit about an apology dinner led to widespread confusion over whether such a custom existed.
Sen. Lora Reinbold/Alaska Airlines Mask Controversy
The Alaska Republican was purportedly banned by the airline refusing to wear a mask.
‘Pockets in Dresses Were Phased Out So Women Could Prove They Were Not Witches’
A deleted tweet about why women’s dresses purportedly lack pockets lived on in screenshots.