Many took to the streets on the night of October 31st, following a promise of a Halloween parade that would start in Parnell Square at 7pm, and conclude in Temple Bar at 9pm, with expectations of celebrity appearances such as famous footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. The rumour sparked on “My Spirit Halloween”, who have since apologised for the fake article, saying, “It was our mistake and we should have double-checked it to make sure it was happening. We are highly embarrassed and very sorry”.
They described it as “a mistake, not a scam”, but when taking a closer look at the website, it’s clear that their intentions are not innocent. The website tells its visitors that it is based in the US, but that doesn’t match their Facebook page where it’s recorded that its primary activity is in Pakistan. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue described it as, “A classic content aggregator” that “turns out reams of content that it thinks users in Ireland, the UK, Australia or America will find interesting”.
The website used imitative text, taken from other websites advertising genuine events, and used pictures taken from events in Galway last year to advertise the supposed parade. They used clickbait terms to attract those trying to make Halloween plans, and eventually made its way to Tik Tok with one video garnering over 20,000 views. This is a light-hearted example of people falling for misinformation, but in the month of an Irish general election, it’s never been more important that people recognise fake news.
In the annual Digital News Report in 2023, it was found that 64% of Irish people are concerned about what is real and what is fake on the internet. With only 47% of participants trusting the news most of the time. Snapchat and Tiktok also reached more than half of 18-24 year olds. In the age of AI generated content is being seen more and more, people are struggling to tell the difference between real and fake news on the internet.