web 2.0 untruth

Alright, now I understand that this assignment was to contrast an "untruth" with a "truth", but I realized that I don't even need to go searching for untruths on web 2.0 - I look at them everyday (multiple times a day, actually.)

I'm an avid reader of a gossip blog named "Oh No They Didn't!" (ONTD). It's an addictive celebrity gossip blog that I can't help but glance at every now and then (Or every few hours. Oops.) Since this a gossip blog by nature, it's hardly a surprise that a great deal of the information on there is false. Within the past month or so, I have seen postings claiming false deaths, arrests, pregnancies, etc. Yet it's difficult to filter out what's true and what's clearly made up, seeing as some of the information posted on ONTD is true.

Today I read a rather humorous article which was originally posted on tmz about Miley Cyrus and her hopes of getting fired. A link to the article is here:

http://www.tmz.com/2008/09/20/disney-to-miley-face-the-music-or-else

Basically, the article claims that Miley is an ungrateful and rather obnoxious individual. Her co-stars can't stand her, and her father is no better. Now, is this true? I'm sure not. I mean, she seems like a sweet girl, right? But how would I know? What is stopping me from telling my friends that Miley is a terrible person? Well, the fact that none of them care about Miley Cyrus is setting me back, but that's probably the only thing.

When it comes to celebrity gossip, I would say that the only source I consider to be reliable is an interview in which Miley denies all of these claims. Or maybe her co-star can explain how all of the claims are false. But even then, how would I know the real truth? I'd really have to physically be on the set of Hannah Montana or in some kind of executive Disney meeting to discover the actual truth...and believe me, I can do without both of those things.

Long story short, this little article was posted this afternoon, and has already gotten hundreds of comments. Most of which are from people who seem to take all of this very seriously. Whether they are defending Miley or simply agreeing with the article, most of these comments appear to be from individuals who assume the article is true and based on fact.