Internet hoaxes are created in order to get a reaction from the public. I would say they are harmless but definitely disruptive to people who use the internet frequently throughout their everyday lives. Although they are bothersome, hoaxes have the potential to create a lot of controversy; both good and bad. People everywhere have something to say about their most common app having a glitch for an hour or so.
#snapchatdown
*wifi enabled*
Snapchat no work
*switches to 4G*
Snapchat still no work pic.twitter.com/FsggeFONiG— chloe gibson (@chloegi34215304) September 9, 2019
For example, if Snapchat goes down for some time its users tweet about it to express their frustration. In the meantime, Snapchat is still getting attention, even when their app is down. Regardless of whether it’s working or not, the app is still getting mentioned which is debatably better than getting to attention at all.
feel like pure shit just want snapchat back x #snapchatdown pic.twitter.com/Ege1Zq9Y2l
— abs (@abijackson_) September 9, 2019
Likewise, viral hoaxes allow strangers to be able to connect and relate over something they have in common. People are able to see, read, agree, and laugh at other people who are going through the same issue of Snapchat being temporally down. It makes something annoying a little bit more tolerable knowing everyone is dealing with the same Snapchat issue as you. I believe that viral hoaxes are both harmless and helpful and although may upset its users for brief period of time, are more beneficial for the app itself by giving it word-wide attention on other major platforms.