How the false rumor of a Chinese coup went viral

India has the third largest number of users on the micro-messaging service. Considering the long-standing tensions between India and China, as well as the relative lack of knowledge that average Indians have about Chinese politics, it is unsurprising that they spread the rumor.

There isn't enough evidence to determine if this was a coordinated effort to push the coup rumor. Jones told me that there are a lot of new accounts as well as the fact that some of the keyinfluencers are suspended. This does not necessarily mean that it is state-backed.

Many other accounts are taking advantage of the popularity of this discourse to amplify the story. Some users in Africa are hijacking the hashtags to gain visibility for their own content, which is a long-practiced trick among users in Nigeria andKenya.

The rumor was mostly dead by Monday. Recent documents show that he is still in power, despite the fact that he didn't show up.

It's both funny and depressing that a completely false rumor can grow so big and have so many people fooled. If you don't know anything about the issue being discussed, you may not notice the mess on social media.