Just because people are talking about something online doesn’t mean that something exists. Especially if it’s something really stupid you would like to believe about stupid people.
The Tide Pod challenge was largely a figment of people’s imagination. But Tide speaking out against teens eating the dangerous pods on purpose helped cover up the problem of toddlers and the elderly thinking the colorful pods looked like something good to eat.
Just like with Slap a Teacher, Hellmaxxing, and Devious Licks, I see no evidence the NyQuil chicken challenge exists. Just like with those, I see a lot of videos critiquing such a challenge, but no videos of the challenge themselves.
— Dr. Jess Maddox (@drjessmaddox) September 21, 2022
Take, for example, Rep. Jack Kimble from California’s 54th district. Neither Kimble nor the 54th district exist.
But he sure likes to post trolly comments that can catch even reasonably savvy internet users… Like the Washington Post…. or me….
I deleted my previous tweet – Jack Kimble is a satirical account for a fictional California congressional district that's been around for at least 12 years.https://t.co/HeYa4wRsBk https://t.co/vyY9VU0yiD
— RalphIsNow@rhanson40@threads.net (@ralphehanson) September 18, 2022
It can be very difficult for brands to avoid advertising on web sites they find objectionable or damaging to their brands.
So much of the selling of online ads is done by automation with no real accountability on where the ads go. But companies can fight back.
Etsy was one of the FIRST brands to block Breitbart back in 2016.
The fact that their ads were once again (in 2022!) sponsoring a Bannon project — against their explicit wishes — is the most important story in advertising today. pic.twitter.com/COFnBei9Hg
— Nandini Jammi (@nandoodles) September 20, 2022
One of the reasons why we still have The New Yorker around as so many other magazines have been dying off is because they work really hard at making sure their articles are based on reality.
And one of the ways they do this is through the employment of smart and hard working fact checkers to make sure their articles are true.
And finally…
Paddington Bear visits Silent Hill. Because, well, why not?
I Photoshop paddington into a movie or TV show until I forget: Day 560 pic.twitter.com/1RBAsIM4Z9
— Jaythechou (@jaythechou) September 20, 2022