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A recent incident on TikTok has highlighted the prevalence of disinformation on social media platforms. Grace Wolstenholme, a popular TikTok creator known for her videos discussing living with cerebral palsy, was shocked to discover a video claiming she was dead circulating on the platform. Despite gaining 1.3 million followers since 2021, Wolstenholme found herself at the center of a death hoax that garnered over 650,000 views.
The video in question was originally posted by Wolstenholme in 2021 and featured her falling over in a gym class. However, it was later used without her permission by another account purporting to sell pillows, with a caption falsely claiming that the video was in memory of the account holder’s deceased autistic sister. This misinformation quickly spread, leading to an outpouring of condolences from viewers who believed Wolstenholme had passed away.
The impact of this disinformation was significant for Wolstenholme, causing her to lose thousands of followers and see a decline in views, subsequently affecting her income as a TikTok creator. Despite efforts to have the video removed, it resurfaced days later, with the user responsible for sharing it sending offensive messages to Wolstenholme. TikTok eventually removed the video after being contacted by the BBC and confirmed that it violated their community guidelines.
In response to the incident, Wolstenholme emphasized the importance of fact-checking information on social media platforms and expressed her frustration at the spread of false information about her disability. The ordeal took a toll not just on Wolstenholme, but also on her followers, with some expressing deep disgust and others potentially triggering existing mental health issues. The matter has since been reported to the Metropolitan Police, which is actively investigating the harassment directed at Wolstenholme
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