Lil Tay Hoax Hysteria Proves You Shouldn’t Believe Everything You Read

This article originally appeared on Passionfruit.

On Wednesday, the internet was convinced that viral musical sensation Lil Tay had passed. An Instagram post on the 14-year-old’s page claimed the trash-talking internet celebrity, alongside her brother Jason Tian, had a “sudden and tragic passing” that was “still under investigation.” Dozens of news organizations from all around the world and large social media accounts took this post of the former social media show boater at face value, reporting on her death and further spreading the claim.

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