The price of liberty, as they say, is eternal vigilance. In many ways, social media is allowing the press an unprecedented level of freedom, but if it is to thrive, it needs eternal vigilance.
One man online has dedicated his life to proving this fact. He goes by the name of George Weah's Cousin, and his exquisite photoshop skills have proved the necessity to be wary of what one sees online. George Weah's Cousin is a master of the theory propounded online by United States' founding father Benjamin Franklin who argued that you could attribute any online quote to anybody, and people will believe it to be true.
Here is an example of how he carries out his work:
Step One - Create the image
Jack Colback upon signing for Newcastle. Oh dear oh dear #Nufc #Safc pic.twitter.com/FilfeBEEqy
— GeorgeWeahsCousin (@WeahsCousin) May 11, 2016
This was cannily released the night Newcastle were relegated at Sunderland's expense.
Step Two - Allow it to be picked by up the various b****r sites
Good old BBC Sporf. They have become more irritating in recent years than the actual BBC, who have employed Jeremy Clarkson and Mark Lawrenson.
Step Three - Bask arrogantly in the incipient confusion
The banter brigade have took it, released it, and now it'll fly. Job done. Now I'm gonna have some chicken strips.
— GeorgeWeahsCousin (@WeahsCousin) May 11, 2016
Step Four - Watch it gain further credibility through retweets from prominent b****r merchants
He really went balls to the wall on this statement! pic.twitter.com/lpmzGCzCku
— James Corden (@JKCorden) May 11, 2016
(Note that Corden copied the image rather than sharing the original tweet).
Step Five - Enjoy the subsequent retractions and apologies from those who weren't paying attention
In the light of news that that is a fake tweet/quote. I have a)removed my rude over emotional response and b)flogged myself with a birch.
— Gabby Logan (@GabbyLogan) May 11, 2016
That is a textbook example of how George Weah's Cousin does his work. Here are another few examples. All are followed with sub-tweets featuring folk who have been fooled by the images:
Mike Ashley has penned an open letter to the Newcastle United fans, and it's a disgrace. They deserve better. #Nufc pic.twitter.com/EK9xIrITSQ
— GeorgeWeahsCousin (@WeahsCousin) May 13, 2016
One person saw the following Jorge Mendes quote doing the rounds, and did at least have the initial scepticism to question its veracity. Thankfully, it was confirmed to her by multiple sources:
His greatest hour came upon the day Gary Neville's Valencia lost 7-0 to Barcelona.
Some may believe that George Weah's Cousin is committed solely to trolling, but we feel differently. It is his use of photoshop which forces us all to be sceptical of everything we read online.
You can avoid following George Weah's Cousin here.
As always, all stories related to misinformation online are dedicated to IndyKaila.
