Why People Believe Celebrity Death Hoaxes
Celebrity death hoaxes are not new.
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The internet has made them much easier to create and distribute, however.
A person can take an old photograph, add a dramatic caption, invent a date and location, and upload the result to social media. If even a small number of people share it, the story can reach thousands or millions of viewers.
The person who sees the post next may assume:
“If so many people are sharing this, it must be true.”
But that assumption is dangerous.
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Social media measures engagement, not truth.
A false story can receive more attention than a true story simply because it is shocking. A boring correction may receive very few shares, while an alarming headline can travel rapidly.
This creates a particularly powerful cycle.
First, someone creates a false claim.
Second, people become shocked by it.
