‘R.I.P Morgan Freeman’
‘At about 5 p.m. ET, our beloved actor Morgan Freeman passed away due to a artery rupture. Morgan was born on June 1, 1937. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.’
But please, don’t take these phrases and this Facebook page serious. This Hollywood Icon is alive and kicking. Another great example of the power of social media or a sick hoax?
According to TheWrap, this is the second “attempt on Freeman’s life” by pranksters, with a report spreading in late 2010 that the actor had died in his home.
Over 850,000 people now have fallen for a new the prank, by liking and commenting on a memorial Facebook page. Some people are still thinking that the “Red” actor actually died.
Many are not seeking out other sources to check to see if it is true, hence why the rumors keep on circulating. All it takes is a quick Google search to see that the page makes false claims and that thousands of people have been duped.
So why do you think Morgan Freeman is such a popular target among pranksters? Is this a good example of the power of social media? And how would you advice Morgan to deals with this hoax? Doing nothing, or act like Obama on the #InvisibleObama trending topic?
About the author
Laurens Bianchi is an online marketing professional from the Netherlands and has been blogging on ViralBlog since 2008. Currently Laurens is a Managing Partner and Commercial Director at ICON&Co. Within the company Laurens is responsible for online and social media consultancy.
You can connect with Laurens via ICON&Co, Twitter, LinkedIn.