The internet is known for being a dark place. A dark place that holds lots of false information. This false information has a name, “Internet Hoax”.
Hoaxes can be harmful in ways such as giving warnings about computer viruses or supposed health risks or they can be harmless by just warning people about a new Instagram “privacy rule”. These hoaxes shut off people’s brains and make them believe that what they are reading is either true, worth it to share on their pages or like/comment. However, the only way an internet hoax could be considered harmful is if the user engages with it such as enter information or click on any links attached to it. These hoaxes could be harmless and just for internet attention, but they must be handled with care and uncertainty.
These people are helping run our government.
Seriously, are we all being punked?
Like some sick The Truman Show rip off?Rick Perry, The Man In Charge Of American Nuclear Weapons, Fell For An Instagram Hoax – BuzzFeed News #OneVoice1 https://t.co/XOXox1m0wD
— Stacey🇺🇸Grab Them By The Ballotsđź—ł (@StaceyBeeBlue) August 22, 2019
G Data Software noted that the people behind the hoaxes have a few missions. First, is to see who will fall for the hoax as a prank to all it’s users. Next, is the person may believe that what they are spreading is true and they want to help others. However, most of the time the information is false anyway. Unfortunatley, there are people out there who create these hoaxes to take people’s credit card information, usernames and passwords.
WIRED wrote a piece highlighting why people fall for these internet hoax and quoted our very own, Professor Whitney Phillips. She told WIRED, “When confronted with new information, humans don’t always do the logical thing and evaluate it on its own merits. Instead, we often make snap decisions based on how the information adheres with our existing worldviews.”
Misinformation is an issue I've personally spent a lot of time on. I'm proud that, starting today, people can let us know if they see posts on Instagram they believe may be false. There's still more to do to stop the spread of misinformation, more to come:https://t.co/SRYwvgqPaz
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) August 15, 2019
A lot of time people do not think about what they share on social media and even if they do not think it is entirely correct, “sharing just in case” seems to be the route users choose.
Wagener, Hannah. “What Is a Hoax?: Joke News on the Internet: G DATA.” What Is a Hoax? | Joke News on the Internet | G DATA, G Data Software, 24 July 2019, https://www.gdata-software.com/guidebook/what-actually-is-a-hoax.
Martineau, Paris. “Why People Keep Falling for Viral Hoaxes.” Wired, Conde Nast, 22 Aug. 2019, https://www.wired.com/story/why-people-keep-falling-viral-hoaxes.