- Image via CrunchBase
Apparently there is a rumour doing rounds on the Internet that Facebook will be shutting down on March 15. The rumour, which was started by Internet faux news site – Weekly World News – falsely claimed that the world’s most popular social networking site would be shut down because founder, Mark Zuckerberg, announced that ‘managing the site has become too stressful’. Despite being false, the rumour has spread really quickly so much so that Facebook has had to deny it on its status page with the following statement.
Quote: We didn’t get the memo about shutting down, so we’ll keep working away like always. We aren’t going anywhere; we’re just getting started.
So then, Facebook users do not have to worry about losing all their data and information on the Website. However, one cannot help but wonder why anyone would believe such a story. With over half a billion worldwide users and an estimated value of over $50bn, why would Facebook want to shut down anyway?! Weekly World News is widely known for making similar reports following previous claims of impending alien spaceship attacks and a Michelle Obama pregnancy. Perhaps, this would serve as a reminder to Internet users to aways double check stories, particularly controversial ones, before telling others.
Talking Point
Do you ever double-check Internet rumours before passing it on?