As individuals become more able to contribute to social media, internet hoaxes have become more easily spreadable. I’m sure people have different reasonings for starting internet hoaxes. Some may start them experimentally—just how far can one rumor spread? They might want to test the boundaries of social media and see if they can create a ripple effect. Other’s might start social media hoaxes maliciously, either with the intent to cause trouble or to take down a social media platform, such as Instagram. While the ability to voice our opinions through social media is a great thing, internet hoaxes are harmful because with the nature of social media, they easily become viral and spread lies to mass amounts of people. When individuals see a post on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, most don’t take the time to research the claim behind it. When we use our social media apps, we usually are doing it during our free time. We scroll aimlessly through our timelines, and if we see something that catches our attention, like a hoax, it’s much easier to quickly follow the call to action or share it than actually researching the claim. Furthermore, if we receive internet hoaxes from our friends, we might be more inclined to believe that our friends have the right information rather than finding the truth ourselves. With the particular Instagram situation, this hoax was spread quickly and caused panic. People shared the image out of fear without actually realizing the truth—that nothing was going to happen to their profiles.
The Verge, a news website focusing on new technology, had something to say about the Instagram hoax last August: