You receive a gob smacking picture, incredible video or bizarre message – something, that is brand new information, entertaining, newsworthy, or cautionary (or let’s face it something gross and disgusting; because gross and disgusting is riveting, right?) and you want to be a good friend….you forward it. It may help someone, amaze or entertain, inform them or it could forewarn them, you would think. The problem is that there is a lot of the stuff circulated that is doctored, is altered to suit various agendas, is unnecessarily alarmist or just plain rubbish (there is the progenitor of that message laughing up thier sleeve at your very gulliblity somewhere).
The alarmist message
Witness how so many of us got the message some days ago that Amitabh Bachchan had passed away. Each time there is a natural disaster, terror strike or other unrest, the rumors are rife: there is a terrible epidemic in the offing, more attacks have been threatened and so on. While some of these may be based on the merest suggestion of fact (XYZ was admitted to hospital; must be dead by now) most are nothing up trumped up apprehensions. Consider how we were told not so long ago that Coke is made from toilet cleaning fluid and that Kurkure is made from plastic.
Remember the recent “Crocodile” message during the Chennai floods? Supposedly the flood waters rose so much, the crocs floated to freedom! How clueless are we that the news channels had to run a story to discredit the rumor?
NASA? Really?
Some of these dire warnings that predict doom and gloom have some authoritative sounding, but completely fake “sources”. The creators of these messages sometimes make up fake designations picked out of thin air such as “Chief High Court Judge Solicitor” or they add something like “Warning issued by NASA” or similar international source such as the BBC to lend the message some false credibility. Because it says NASA in the end, of course it turns into gospel truth! Again during the Chennai floods, an alleged NASA cyclone prediction prompted unnecessary panic, hoarding or fleeing.
The “Forward This” hoaxes and chain messages
These are the natural progression from chain mail of old; just sillier. “Forward this message and your battery will be fully charged” says one. “Forward this and X person in Honduras will miraculously find a new heart”. “Forward this and Santa (you know Mr. Claus?) will personally deliver a truck full of toys and one more filled with gold to your house in the next 5 days”. OK I never really received that one about Honduras and I completely made up the one about Santa but you do know what I mean. And those guys are falling out of thier chairs laughing when that idiotic message goes viral.
Unverified messages can spread misinformation, alarm and panic. They are highly unlikely to generate a new cure for that kid with leukemia; and they are not harmless – even when you add the disclaimer Forwarded as Received.
Author – Reena Daruwalla
