by Ray Langley

Created on: September 03, 2010

Getting Attention: Hoaxes and their Uselessness

 A hoax is a rumor or a story that is a complex lie. For example this morning the hot search trend is “Chris Hansen Arrested for…”, which is a hoax directed at investigative reporter of Dateline NBC Chris Hansen, who began the “To Catch a Predator” series that targets people over the internet that seek to have sex with underage children. Another recent hoax, which was more of a mistake, was the “buzz” of Fred Savage’s death. This derived from a picture shown at the Emmy Awards of actor Corey Haim who had passed away, which bore a striking resemblance to a youthful Fred Savage. The first example is a malicious attack based on a person with a similar name to the investigative reporter and exploited to attempt to discredit Hansen, the second was an unintentional hoax.

 Over the years, many hoaxes perpetuated on the public have drawn attention. Some were minor and pointed to the gullible public (ban DHMO-which is simply water- 1994-1997) in general. Others are meant to deceive the public for personal fame or notoriety as in false biographies (Clifford Irving’s biography of Howard Hughes), and the “Anastasia Romanov” (missing daughter of the executed Russian leader) a hoax which afforded the perpetrator to live a life beyond her means. These hoaxes played on the public sympathy and take advantage of the voyeuristic interest in public figures to gain an authentic flavor that could be believable, but is at least palatable.

 “Chris Hansen arrested for…” is enough to draw people into the story, yet the details or “facts” so rival the public image of Hansen that without positive proof such as video or court documents the bite of the story falls short of believable. These types of useless hoaxes chip away at the public consciousness creating an advantage of opinion when true events pursued legally against a celebrity, causing public doubt in the validity of the real charges filed in a court of law. The Michael Jackson trials are the best example as the prosecution fought against public opinion, already once burned by false accusations against the singer. In the end the Jackson Hoaxes, impugned reality, and Jackson was set free.

 The odd thing about celebrity or an informational hoax is that the genuine information is usually much more interesting then the boarder line “facts” presented in the hoax. The perpetrator underlines these with false, yet believable sounding supporting information (disinformation) that not only draw the public into the hoax, but also compel the public to perpetuate the hoax to others. The difference between a magic trick, fictional writings and an illusions is that the observer knows by the nature of the presentation that they will be tricked, and enjoy the entertainment of the hoax. The attempt of the hoax-ster to malign or embarrass with the hoax is what gives it a voyeuristic appeal, as the public looks for believability in the exposure created by the hoax. These days it is hard to tell a hoax from subversive publicity stunts as with celebrity sex tapes being “stolen” then released without the celebrity’s consent. If the sex tapes were really “stolen” then that celebrity should probably not list the sex tape on their resume, it makes the whole thing seem like a hoax.

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