14 DAY TRIAL // It’s not uncommon for celebrities to become victims of Internet hoaxes, as many of us already know. In fact, it’s not uncommon for fans of celebrities to learn that their idols have come to a sudden and tragic end, when they’re actually in comfort and safety of their own home. Natalie Portman is the latest star to “die” online, Search Engine Land reports.
Fans will know that it’s actually a common occurrence for this type of hoax with Natalie Portman as the victim to pop up online, mostly because she is an actress who has millions of fans, and is incredibly loved and admired. This time, her death replicated that of Jeff Goldblum, meaning reports had it she had fallen dead on the set of a movie. Unlike in Goldblum’s case, though, Google’s live search results helped ease the fans and prove to them that a hoax was at play again.
“People searching for Natalie Portman right now on Google are seeing things like this,” Search Engine Land writes, right above the photo also included in this article. “That’s ‘Global Associated News’ confirming she’s dead, right in the top results at Google. Now right below it, you see someone saying the rumor is false. […] So in some ways, the real time results are compensating for the rumor. Unlike with Goldblum’s case, the real time results are actually helping to cast doubt that this ‘death’ is real,” the publication goes on to say.
“But it also depends on when you see them. If they aren’t scrolling with new stuff, you might get a ‘confirmation’ without a rumor. And when the rumor first started, you might not have gotten confirmations at all,” it is further said. Anyway, the bottom line is that the real time results displayed by Google and, most importantly, the Twitterers who kept an eye on this and immediately spotted the hoax, have contributed to defuse the situation.
Unfortunately, not the same can be said about stars like Emma Watson, Kanye West and Lindsay Lohan’s father, Michael Lohan, all of who have been victims of hoaxes like this at one point or another.