Hey there,

I see you're about the hit the "Share" button on some Thing you found so that it will appear in your social media stream.

Before you do that, can I have you examine The Thing you're about to share for a second? I just want to offer some handy tests to apply to The Thing before you press Share.

#1

Have you actually read or watched The Thing in its entirety?

If not, then step away from the Share button.

#2

Does the headline of The Thing have a bunch of exclamation points or ALL CAPS?

If so, then it might be a good idea to step away from the Share button.

#3

Does The Thing use a bunch of adjectives that are completely unquantifiable and subjective, yet overly hyperbolic, such as "jaw-dropping!" or "obliterated!" or "mind-blowing!"?

Does it describe a situation and say this is making someone or some group "go crazy!" or "have a meltdown!"?

If it does, then let's just think about stepping away from the Share button.

#4

Is The Thing just a personal attack on some group that doesn't share your views? Is the entire purpose of The Thing to make someone else feel stupid or make you look smarter and more enlightened than them?

If so, do us all a favor and step away from the Share button.

#5

Is The Thing you're about to share (1) about politics and (2) just a picture with writing on it?

If so, maybe just step away from the Share button.

#6

Does The Thing have valid sources? Are the sources even vaguely reputable and neutral?

Have you followed any of the source links? Are they independent, or do they loop back on each other (meaning, Thing A links to Thing B which links to Thing C...which links back to Thing A)?

If it fails any of these conditions, then might I humbly suggest that you step away from the Share button.

#7

Does the content of The Thing clearly support the headline that's going to appear in your media stream?

Does The Thing claim to be a specific example of some larger situation? If so, does it prove that specific example?

Or does the headline make some wild, unsupported statement just to get someone to click on it, then go off on passionate tangent about the larger situation without first proving the specific example?

If The Thing doesn't support the specific claim it makes, then it's probably high time we all just stepped away from the Share button.

#8

If The Thing makes a shocking claim, have you done any research to see if this is actually true? Anything at all? Even a 10-second Google search?

I'm not saying that Google knows everything, but if the top 100 results provide some evidence that claims to disprove The Thing, could we maybe file that under "reasonable doubt"?

If you haven't researched this at all, then the only responsible thing to do is step away from the Share button.

#9

Does The Thing actually contribute towards honest and clear debate about its subject? Will the world be a better place if you share The Thing?

No? Then, in the name of all things good and holy, will you please step away from the Share button!?

If you haven't stepped away from the Share button by this point, then I'm assuming The Thing passed all the tests.

If so, then hit that Share button with pride my friend. Congratulations on completing some basic analysis and making the world a better place.

Sincerely,

Everyone