Twitter is the perfect environment for rumors to spread like wildfire, but it's not everyday a rumor about Twitter starts on Twitter and spirals out of control. Youtuber BradTheLadLong started a rumor Wednesday that Twitter would be shutting down in 2017 because of complaints he made to the company about abuse and bullying on Twitter, the Guardian reported. Inexplicably, a ton of people believed the dude and panicked.
As the rumor gained steam on Thursday evening, the hashtag #SaveTwitter emerged, attached to varying reactions. Here are some Twitter users who were legitimately distressed about the fake news that Twitter was going bye-bye in 2017:
Other people were more interested in the injustice of Twitter getting shut down when basically the whole world sucks and is filled with jerks:
Other tweeters seemed to know it was all a load and just had fun with the pandemonium:
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The Guardian reported that the rumor initially picked up steam through fake accounts but was quickly repeated on real accounts by true believers.
As for the rumor's instigator, BradTheLadLong was nailed with the extra-angry bullying he was perhaps trying to make a point about through his hoax. Angry tweets aimed at him poured in through Wednesday evening and into Thursday, prompting Brad to plead for the tweets to stop:
In case anyone is still wondering, the Guardian confirmed with Twitter that the site isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Tweet away, everyone.
