Facebook emerged as the primary platform for sharing this news, critically impacting its rapid spread. The meteor news story highlighted a perfect combination of factors that contributed to its virality. It contained elements of surprise and fear, engaged with people's survival instincts, and was carried by reputable online news outlets, lending it a false credibility. An analysis of the comments, shares and likes revealed that users primarily shared the news out of concern for others, perpetuat...

Facebook emerged as the primary platform for sharing this news, critically impacting its rapid spread. The meteor news story highlighted a perfect combination of factors that contributed to its virality. It contained elements of surprise and fear, engaged with people's survival instincts, and was carried by reputable online news outlets, lending it a false credibility. An analysis of the comments, shares and likes revealed that users primarily shared the news out of concern for others, perpetuat...