I just found out that “Dennis Hopper Died” is a google trend, and fortunately one of the internet’s current untruths. Dennis Hopper is not dead. He is however, quite ill from prostate cancer.
This just reminded me of all the wackiness that’s on the internet daily. Believe it or not, a lot of people think if it’s on the internet it’s true. Here are some of the lies that are the most common:
1. Big Name Celebrity Died: I don’t know who starts these rumors, but we’ve all seen and heard of at least one celebrity dying that didn’t really die. I would suggest if you’re not sure that you rely on credible websites for that kind of information, like CNN. Blogs and independent publications are usually the ones responsible for spreading around these kinds of falsities. It brings in a lot of visitors and sometimes can bring in a lot of cash. If it’s not true though, it’s wrong.
2. Get Free Money: Almost anything that has the words “free” and “money” is a lie. Okay, maybe everything. I can’t think of too many of these articles and emails that will actually provide you with money for free or for nothing. We’ve all heard it before, if it sounds too good to be true…it probably is. This means if it also sounds too easy as well. Don’t even bother with these promotions because more often than not, you will actually end up losing money.
3. Oranges Will Give You Cancer/Oranges Will Prevent Cancer: I can’t say these are really lies, per se. I do believe that there are legitimate scientists, dieticians and doctors that believe it when they give us the information. So maybe it isn’t intentional. It’s just difficult to know what to eat and what not to eat when it changes weekly and sometimes daily. Remember when soy was good for you? Remember when it wasn’t? What about coffee? See?
4. Photos of Big Celebrity Naked: I don’t go looking around for naked pics of celebrities, but I do see the creepy links and ads for them and from what I have heard, you’re asking for trouble if you click on them. You could end up giving your computer a virus or just sent on a wild goose chase, hoping you’ll purchase something from some other trashy website. Celebrities generally get paid money-a lot of money- for nude pictures, your chances of viewing them for free on the internet are pretty slim.
5. Miracle Drugs/Hair Growth Cream/Fat Burning Juice: This is the saddest lie of all, to me, because people are purposely selling snake oil to other people that are legitimately seeking some form of assistance, be it medical or something else. They may quote famous people (which means nothing), they may quote someone with PhD attached to their name, but in the end, a lot of the cure cancer drugs, grow hair and lose weight overnight products are not going to do anything but cost you money.
I apologize if I’ve rained on anyone’s parade, but I am amazed by the things that are spread around on the internet. Even more amazed that people believe it. As far as researching urban myths and things, I like to use www.snopes.com. You’ll find almost every forwarded email you’ve ever received, with an explanation of how it started. Whatever you’re researching, know the difference between a credible news agency (which aren’t always right either) and a blog like this one-though I won’t lie to you. Promise.