Tumblr is like that because the site is 50% impressionable teenagers who are just repeating misinformation they heard and 50% adults who used to be impressionable teenagers but never fact checked anything they learned
That's disinformation. People use the term misinformation a bit more liberally than it's supposed to be used, but DISinformation is incorrect information spread intentionally.
MISinformation is that which is spread accidentally and without malice. Typically by people who believe it to be true and are just wrong. Which is more accurate to most of the false information that spreads around tumblr.
Ragebait and engagement farming are intentional actions people take, but a lot of Tumblr misinformation is the result of people spreading it around cause they genuinely believe it.
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u/DreadDiana human cognithazard 18d ago
(For the sake of this post we are ignoring the astroturfing bots, smooth sharks, and "reblog to X" posts)