From the frantic quest for Instagram fame comes a new idea. Users ask followers to add "RIP" in their comments.
An early one framed this as a solution to a bad relationship:
Another use is more prosaic:
Another comment, on the "sneakernews" Instagram page (which has 7.5 million followers), "riccardomancaa" said, "Can y'all comment RIP on my latest photo so people think I'm dead and so I cannot go to school."
There's a playful, game-like aspect to this:
Karen North, a clinical professor of communication at USC Annenberg [explains:] "Because that's not part of a game. The game is to get people to comment, and the other game is to get people to fall for the fake report of your death."
Any medium will eventually turn to stories of death. Any medium can be used for fakery and hoaxes. It follows that the two can coincide.
(thanks to Elena Clark)
Comments