eBullshit

Thanks to the internet, we can now spread misinformation and lies faster and farther than has ever been humanly possible. This phenomenon is new enough and different enough to deserve its own moniker, so here’s our suggestion …

eBullshit

(Of course, the squeamish can say “eBS.”)

The amazing thing about eBullshit is that it can masquerade as perfectly valid information, even with the appearance of journalism. Anyone with some spare time can create a Web site with a look of complete legitimacy, including mastheads, logos and that ultimate of badge of veracity, advertisements.

eBullshit can serve many purposes, included boosting political campaigns, promoting products and just plain orneriness. Sometimes the eBullshit propagates widely enough to attain the status of meme, defined as “something that’s gone viral because someone else thought of it.” This has been the case for such beloved concepts as “death panels,” “Internet security” and “Facebook privacy.”

And just as Ebola is far more virulent than conventional Bola, so eBullshit commands more fear and loathing than it’s cousin.

NOTE: Apple’s version will be known as iSwear.