Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Social Media
  3. News

Relax, Drake isn’t dead, but his death hoax continues to spread

Christina Majaski
By

Could Drake make an appearance in season 2 of The Handmaid's Tale?
There are a couple things you can count on occurring at least once every couple weeks on social media. One, some kind of hoax will go viral on Facebook whether it’s a scam for free airline tickets or Bill Gates passing out money if you “share this post.” The other is news of a celebrity’s passing, when he or she is actually very much alive. When you combine hoaxes and Facebook, the false news spreads quickly, leaving millions of people either perplexed or mourning their idol. The most recent victim of the Internet prank is Drake, Canadian singer, rapper, producer, and star of your favorite Hotline Bling meme.

It’s also becoming difficult, however, to figure out what’s true and what’s not, especially when reputable sites we depend on for news coverage accidentally participate in the hoax without some fact checking. In Drake’s case, it’s uncertain where the story originated, but it was posted as a Buzzfeed Community post, which ended up being aggregated, and then showing up on the front page of Yahoo News. While Buzzfeed has pulled the story and notes that they don’t have control over the content shared in community posts, those who depend on Yahoo for news may have believed it simply because it’s Yahoo. This also shows the problem with news reporting when you let a computer do it.

The fake news about Drake's death ended up being picked up by Yahoo, which appeared on its front page.
The fake news about Drake’s death ended up being picked up by Yahoo, and appeared on its front page even after Drake’s reps confirmed it wasn’t true.

Social media also plays a significant role in perpetuating untrue stories like, “Rapper Drake Dies in Fatal Car Accident.” According to Media Mass, a Facebook page, “R.I.P. Drake,” which included a description of how the singer died, had acquired over 1 million “likes” on Saturday. And, fans took to Twitter as well, to express their condolences.

Recommended Videos

~ On my gosh! Terrible news…….  :(  Many condolences and prayers to his family and friends. <3

Posted by Maria Salmon on Monday, November 23, 2015

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Drake has been falsely pronounced dead, and this type of hoax regularly occurs with many other celebs such as Morgan Freeman and Betty White. Drake’s reps confirmed on Sunday that he is definitely not dead and has, unfortunately, merely been victimized by a hoax. “He’s still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet,” they said. Apparently, this also means sites we think we can trust.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Christina Majaski
Christina Majaski
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Christina has written for print and online publications since 2003. In her spare time, she wastes an exorbitant amount of…
Turkey bans Facebook and Twitter over images of deadly Ankara bombing
turkey coup social media turkish flag daniel snelson flickr

Social media users across Turkey have been blocked from accessing Twitter and Facebook following a court-ordered ban.

The move comes in the wake of a deadly bombing, which has thus far seen possibly as many as 37 people killed (the exact number is unconfirmed) and 125 wounded in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Sunday.

Read more
NatGeo continues to dominate among social brands, beating NBA, People, Playboy
nat geo wild big game of thrones wildlife miniseries baby lion national geographic

National Geographic, the 100-year-old magazine once known for its glossy photographs of giraffes and elephants in their natural habitats, has become a leading social brand in the U.S. In fact, according to Shareablee’s Top 25 Social U.S. Brands in 2015, NatGeo continues to lead and even dominate popular brands such as the NBA, People.com, and Playboy.

The majority of NatGeo’s lead is due in part to its 482.5 million total social media actions which include likes, comments, shares, retweets, and favorites, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Although the NFL ranked second behind NatGeo in Shareablee’s third quarter rankings, the NFL's total actions are significantly lower at a mere 125.6 million.  National Geographic also ranked highest in the number of followers and fans on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, totaling 80.1 million.

Read more
Millions believe actor Richard Gere’s ‘moving’ Facebook hoax about homelessness
richard gere responds facebook hoax homeless

If you’ve spent any amount of time on Facebook, you’ve likely witnessed or fallen victim to the number of hoaxes that pop up, from celebrity deaths (who haven’t died) to supposed body of a mermaid. Facebook hoaxes have become so commonplace that even large news outlets once considered trustworthy, have claimed Morgan Freeman has died at least five times.

In the latest hoax, however, the claim wasn’t that anyone died, but instead involved a celebrity participating in an act of good will. According to multiple Facebook posts, actor Richard Gere had gone undercover as an unrecognizable homeless person and was ignored and treated as homeless people are often treated (poorly), with only one person offering him food. According to the Facebook story, Gere was so compelled to help that he personally handed out hundreds of dollars to those living on the streets.

Read more