On Twitter, people shared the article as “proof” of the conspiracy, or in outrage that someone could believe such a thing. The well-intentioned also, inadvertently, participate in the cycle of making a conspiracy theory go viral. Now, teen fans of killers are part of the script of horrible online phenomena after a mass shooting. Participate in false-flag conspiracy theories, which question whether the mass shooting really happened at all. Bad actors floating conspiracy theories and hoaxes actively seek out mainstream reporters’ attention.

Source: Washington Post February 23, 2018 02:53 UTC