Friendly reminder: Don't believe everything you read on the internet

Two emotion-baiting stories making the rounds this past week turned out to be hoaxes

Shock and awe
(Image credit: (Thinkstock))

Emotions are the currency of the internet sharing economy, but they have their dangers. While warm fuzzies and moral outrage can dutifully inspire you to hit the Facebook Share button, here is a friendly and gentle reminder to question anything you read or watch, especially if it seems too good to be true. (This article included.)

Two stories that spread like wildfire throughout Facebook over the past week were convincingly debunked this morning. The first concerns a piece of questionable reporting that I first saw shared by a local CBS affiliate. Tellingly, the original story has been taken down.

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Chris Gayomali is the science and technology editor for TheWeek.com. Previously, he was a tech reporter at TIME. His work has also appeared in Men's Journal, Esquire, and The Atlantic, among other places. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.