Rumors are Flying!

One great thing about media is also one thing that annoys me greatly. The fact that information can spread so fast through media like TV and the internet is wonderful. We're able to hear about everything going on in far-off places right after they happen instead of waiting days, weeks, or months like they had to do in the olden days. However, sometimes this same process makes false information spread super fast, as well. I've been getting really annoyed lately by people who spread rumors through media without checking facts.

For example, yesterday, I saw a few of my Facebook friends posting the exact same message in their statuses. It said, "Apparently the FAN CHECK Application is a VIRUS that takes 48 hours to kick in. Even if you are tagged in a photo the virus still attacks you. Please inform all you friends and remove/delete the application ASAP. Copy and paste this as your status...."

I didn't want to spread false information, so I went to Snopes.com to check it out before I posted it as my status. After just a few clicks and a bit of reading, I found out that it really isn't a virus, but if you think it's a virus and go to a site claiming they can get the "Fan Check" virus off your computer, you could get a virus from that (if that makes sense). I told my friends that and they were embarrassed.

This isn't the first time I've seen this happen. I can't think of any other example right now because I'm rather tired. However, I've seen way too many friends and acquaintances get caught up in this because they believe whatever is told them and don't check the facts.

Moral of the story: check your facts. Just because you read something on the internet or hear it on TV doesn't mean that it's true.