Internet hoaxes

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If a family member posts messages to Facebook that are Internet Hoaxes, do you correct the person?

I have a couple relatives who regularly post stories that aren’t true. It’s as if they read a headline at a supermarket check-out that read, “Elvis Alive! Brain implanted in humanoid robot!” and they believed it.

For example, one of them posted about how Pepsi is selling cans that depict the Pledge of Allegiance without the words, “under God.” This is a false rumor that’s about 15 years old.

Part of me wants to tell them that there’s no reason to get upset over it because it’s an urban legend. Part of me wants to ignore it because it’s not my business to correct them and I’ll come across as a jerk.
 
Maybe do it in person- calling someone out on a public forum like thatbis decidedly uncharitable.
 
Correcting them is in the best interest of them, those that they interact with and the resulting consequences of the article itself.

The highest ‘right’, is to promote Truth and to the best of your ability. Since it honours God and your own God given integrity.

Their feelings may be bruised. The points about informing them respectfully, just. But knowingly failing to act, is just as bad as soliciting the misinformation yourself.

My conscience personally, would not allow for it.

Of course you cannot be expected to correct everyone’s every last mistake. Flagging a single post, with a recommendation of better judgement and discernment for the future, however; would give most pause for thought. To both poster and viewer. Definitely worth the effort.
 
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on_the_hill said:
If a family member posts messages to Facebook that are Internet Hoaxes, do you correct the person?

I have a couple relatives who regularly post stories that aren’t true. It’s as if they read a headline at a supermarket check-out that read, “Elvis Alive! Brain implanted in humanoid robot!” and they believed it.

For example, one of them posted about how Pepsi is selling cans that depict the Pledge of Allegiance without the words, “under God.” This is a false rumor that’s about 15 years old.

Part of me wants to tell them that there’s no reason to get upset over it because it’s an urban legend. Part of me wants to ignore it because it’s not my business to correct them and I’ll come across as a jerk.
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Stupid things like that?

I ignore.

I will publicly post a Snopes or other link, however, if it has to do with money or health. My aunts and grandparents kept me busy for a few months with the number of stupid scams they thought were real. The “eat only lemons for 5 days and you will reset your immune system”, “$100 free coupon” to the local grocery store, the gift certificate sites over and over and over.

But the pure ignorant stuff that doesn’t involve scams? Meh. I let it go.
 
My impulse in a public forum would be to gently post the correction, such as “This is a 10-year-old hoax” with the supporting link, and leave it at that. It helps keep this sort of thing from spreading. However, I do not have friends or relatives doing this on a daily or weekly basis. If I did, I would quickly get tired of correcting them every minute and would probably just put their feed on “snooze” or “unfollow” and let them go nuts with their conspiracy theories.
 
You can send them private messages. But I can’t figure out what to say to someone who just believes it all.
Entering the conspiracy theory itself (which they probably believe also by now) may be useful and maybe not entirely false - explain to them that these false stories are being promoted so that people can lose sense of reality and be more easily manipulated. It is a form of mystifying certain facts - like for example that the cyborg technology is as advanced as these hoaxes claim. So that technology in itself because a friendly or scary idol. Tell them to question more what they see. If they are worried about these news then they will probably understand why they shouldn’t just promote these bogus news. If they actually like it or find it enticing … then hm… I don’t know what to say. Definitely pray for them even if they are not Christians.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
My impulse in a public forum would be to gently post the correction, such as “This is a 10-year-old hoax” with the supporting link, and leave it at that.
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I’ve done that a few times. Fact checking isn’t on their radars.
 
I’d just leave it go then, if it’s happening constantly. Just write it off as an “Old Man Yells at Cloud” scenario.
Some people enjoy finding things on the Internet to get wound up about, true or not.
Same thing used to happen with stuff in the newspapers in the olden tymes. I remember a great to-do among some relatives in my family when a news article interviewed some guy who said the Peace symbol represented a broken cross turned upside down. And of course the whole recurring “Procter and Gamble logo is satanic” rumor that went on for years.
 
Depends on the person and the rumor. Most are harmless, so I don’t bother to correct them.

But there was one going around about a month ago about “Breaking News” about a SEAL team killed in a chopper crash.

The story was true, but happened about six years ago, not recently, like was being reported. It was portrayed in the movie, “Lone Survivor”.
 
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on_the_hill said:
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Tis_Bearself:
My impulse in a public forum would be to gently post the correction, such as “This is a 10-year-old hoax” with the supporting link, and leave it at that.
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I’ve done that a few times. Fact checking isn’t on their radars.
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Yeah. I second my previous advice then. Unless it involves health (in a saftey sort of way) or money then just let it be.
 
Not to get off the topic, but your post reminded me of something that happened when I was a kid.

I’m from a very small, Mayberry-like town in Alabama. Back in the 60s, we had a little hometown newspaper called the Sunbeam.

They had a “social” section where they would actually print things like, “Mr and Mrs Smith, of 1034 Highland Ave, will be travelling to Texas next week to visit their daughter, Barbara.”

Even as a child, I knew this was weird. Literally, a whole page telling every burglar in the county who’s going to be out of town and when.
 
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How is that uncharitable? @on_the_hill is just asking about what to do.
on_the_hill said:
Part of me wants to ignore it because it’s not my business to correct them and I’ll come across as a jerk.
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I wouldn’t say you have an obligation here then.
 
Calling out an older member of your family and saying “youve been fooled” in a oublic forum, when it could be done privately, seems kinda mean to me.
 
My grandma’s hometown in Nebraska, also very small, did the same thing. in those days, the police would watch the individual houses, and people were very aware of anyone new in the neighborhood or anyone who “didn’t belong”.

I think a decade or two before that it was also quite common to just leave your door unlocked most of the time, and nothing usually happened as a result.

Many if not most folks didn’t own much of anything worth taking anyway. Maybe the TV.
 
I would advise everyone no matter where they live to lock their doors. Most crime is that of opportunity. It does make a difference.

I
 
Sure, nowadays I agree 1000 percent it’s necessary.

I have lived in a lot of old houses and seen a lot of the old door and window locks also, and most of them wouldn’t have kept out anyone seriously intent on getting in to burglarize or commit a crime. The house I just bought a couple years ago had a lock on the back door that literally popped open in the night. I awoke to my back door blowing in the breeze. I’m fortunate that no burglars or possums came walking in. I had new locks and a security exterior door put on before I moved any of my cats into the house.
 
Maximilian75 said:
Calling out an older member of your family and saying “youve been fooled” in a oublic forum, when it could be done privately, seems kinda mean to me.
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Again, it depends on the topic. Health and money? An older family member is sharing that with their friends and your other relatives. Public acknowlgement of the scam is important.

Stupid rumors? Yeah, don’t call them out, PM them.
 
I’ve heard in the last couple years a lot of major metropolitan papers in the U.S. covering the mysterious story of a person somewhere in the surround areas of NY, I think that said 50 miles radius, who can transform into a bear walking around the city streets. People will see it, for example, go into a store or something, but when they pursue the bear just disappears. It is so weird!! One person claims to have pictures, but I have not seen them yet. Pretty sure, it’ true, though. Cool story, huh?
 
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I think Steely Dan wrote a song about that bear:

There’s a bear that walks like a man, better shake him fast
Better hide yourself if you can, cuz he wants your ***
I believe you’ll do quite well
But only time will tell
If you got the bear, or the bear got you
 
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on_the_hill said:
If a family member posts messages to Facebook that are Internet Hoaxes, do you correct the person?
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I simply post “This is a hoax, you can ignore it”. simple information, not judgment on the person making the original post. They have the option of asking me why it is a hoax or letting it go.
 
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