Rolling Stones singer latest to be erroneously declared dead by Twitter
Yesterday it was O.J. Simpson being beaten to a bloody pulp in prison (not really) and today it’s Mick Jagger being dead (again, not really).
If I didn’t know better, I’d swear we’re getting to the point where you just can’t believe everything you read on the Internet.
(Spoiler alert: If you haven’t seen the latest Harry Potter movie or read of its major plot twists, it would be wise to skip the rest of this post. And, what are you waiting for?)
Today’s Jagger rumor – again he’s as alive as someone who looks like he does could be – originated on Twitter (surprise, surprise) and, more specifically, caught fire within Twitter’s “trends” list, which purports to collect any moment’s 10 most tweeted/hottest topics. Included right now: RIP Mick Jagger.
I will admit to having gasped when I saw it. But a quick scan of a few tweets made clear it wasn’t true that Mick has strutted his last strut. The “trend” list has been abused in this manner before, with premature death reports having surfaced for the likes of Justin Beiber, Charlie Sheen and Aretha Franklin.
Nevertheless, as a daily Twitter user, I have come to appreciate one aspect of the trend list as it applies to the human end-of-life cycle. If a name appears on “trends” (sans RIP) and the person in question is of a certain age and you couldn’t possibly imagine why else their name would be there, chances are good they have left this mortal coil. I’ve seen it many a time.
For example, when a few days ago I saw the name of former Pirates manager Chuck Tanner trending, I presumed – this time correctly – that the man had passed away. (I also had “We Are Family” stuck in my head for hours.)
And, when on the opening day of the latest Harry Potter movie, I saw – RIP Dobby – I knew the worst had befallen the little guy.
I was also a bit miffed at the Twittersphere for having exposed me to the spoiler without warning.
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