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Twitter hoaxes are the new normal: A lesson from 2013
National Post ^ | January 3, 2014 | Scott Stinson

Posted on 01/03/2014 2:37:17 PM PST by Squawk 8888

A man gets into a passive-aggressive fight with a rude fellow airplane passenger and documents the vaguely threatening note-passing between the two on Twitter, with the exchange making national news. A woman writes a painful essay about the realities of poverty, and the outpouring of sympathy for her includes donations totalling tens of thousands of dollars. A PR executive about to board a plane to Africa posts a joke on Twitter about AIDS, and the resulting viral outcry that takes place while she is on the plane and out of touch all but guarantees that she will be fired upon touchdown.

The first two scenarios were hoaxes that took place in the past year. The last one was real. But in each case the mechanisms were almost identical. Step one: Post something on Internet. Step two: Wildfire! Step three — “Hey, does anyone know if this is actually true?” — comes sometime later.

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What can be learned from all of this? Not much that we didn’t already know. Things spread quickly on the Internet, and untrue things can be taken as gospel. Fact-checking is becoming an outdated art, but traditional media outlets can be as guilty as new media youngsters.

And, one last one: crowdfunding doesn’t give refunds.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalpost.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 01/03/2014 2:37:17 PM PST by Squawk 8888
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To: Squawk 8888

No twitter (who cares I took a #2 in Starbucks?) FB in read-only mode (no posting ever) — keep as small a Internet footprint as possible.


2 posted on 01/03/2014 2:41:55 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Fight Tapinophobia in all its forms! Do not submit to arduus privilege.)
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To: Squawk 8888

President Obama resigned from office just now! It’s true! My online friend from France retweeted it from her friend in Dubai who retweeted it from this guy in Costa Rica who...


3 posted on 01/03/2014 2:43:19 PM PST by MeganC (Support Matt Bevin to oust Mitch McConnell! https://mattbevin.com/)
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To: freedumb2003

I am opposed to social networking. Wanna get fired, arrested, divorced? Put it Out it all out there for all to see with your own name attached. Even if you don’t do anything wrong , there is some buttwad out there who will take issue with something you like to do.


4 posted on 01/03/2014 2:47:20 PM PST by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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To: freedumb2003

Twitter is awesome if you follow the right users. Conrad Black’s Twitter feed is hilarious.


5 posted on 01/03/2014 2:56:55 PM PST by Squawk 8888 (I'd give up chocolate but I'm no quitter)
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To: Vaquero

>> Even if you don’t do anything wrong , there is some buttwad out there who will take issue with something you like to do.<<

Think of FR with no pseudonyms...

It amazes me that we STILL hear/read about kids who don’t get hired — or get fired — as a result of drunken SM posts.

The iterwebs have been around for 20 year — you would think people would get a clue.


6 posted on 01/03/2014 3:23:59 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Fight Tapinophobia in all its forms! Do not submit to arduus privilege.)
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To: MeganC

>>President Obama resigned from office just now! It’s true! My online friend from France retweeted it from her friend in Dubai who retweeted it from this guy in Costa Rica who...
<<

obozo is so stupid that if it got to him, he would call a press conference and say “I just learned on twitter I have resigned so today I turn the reigns over to biden...”


7 posted on 01/03/2014 3:26:54 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Fight Tapinophobia in all its forms! Do not submit to arduus privilege.)
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To: freedumb2003

My son emailed a picture of HS first buck kill to my brother. He goes and puts it on his Facebook. I found out and had a sh1tfit. If you are going to be on some tree huggers hit list, do it yourself. Don’t drag my family down with it. It was withdrawn immediately.


8 posted on 01/03/2014 3:29:42 PM PST by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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To: Vaquero

Amen. I work in an IT field. People are always shocked I don’t personally avail myself of all the social media that’s out there. I tell them it’s because I know the risks and choose not to take them.


9 posted on 01/03/2014 3:31:34 PM PST by Hoffer Rand (If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. *Asterisk.*)
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To: Squawk 8888

The National Post is a Sarcasm Site.

Nothing on it is to be taken literally or believed.


10 posted on 01/03/2014 4:29:58 PM PST by Texas Fossil
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To: Texas Fossil

Say what? It’s a daily newspaper, IMO one of the best in the world.


11 posted on 01/03/2014 4:55:01 PM PST by Squawk 8888 (I'd give up chocolate but I'm no quitter)
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To: Hoffer Rand

I’m in IT. I only use Twitter, mostly to follow certain people and media outlets whom I respect (Thomas Sowell, Conrad Black, National Post, etc).

Facebook is pure evil.


12 posted on 01/03/2014 4:57:26 PM PST by Squawk 8888 (I'd give up chocolate but I'm no quitter)
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To: Squawk 8888

OK, I finally figured it out.

The “National POST” is the Satire Site.

The “National Journal” is your source.

Sorry for my mistake.

Will note the difference in the future.


13 posted on 01/03/2014 9:30:39 PM PST by Texas Fossil
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