OK. So I wrote this completely and utterly fake article about Transformers 6 in response to that National Report article that was getting passed around on the Transformers pages on Facebook a few days ago just to show how easy it is to do. Kudos to everyone that got the joke (even if you needed a little hint).
I didn’t mean it as any kind of social experiment or to upset anyone. I even clearly stated that it was completely false in a disclaimer at the end of the article:
This article is completely made-up as an example of how easy it is to write a somewhat believable yet completely false article on the internet.
What I learned by seeing the response, specifically on Tumblr, is that so many people only read the headlines. There were quite a few reblogs that were hoping and praying that it as true and there were even a few that threatened stabbings if it was false! I couldn’t help but laugh at those threats, but I totally understand the passion behind them.
For those that did actually read the article, there were others that stopped at the fake quote attributed to Michael Bay that was extremely insulting to long-time Transformers fans. He’s never said anything like that, but so many fans out there choose to believe that is how he views us. So, a few people stopped there and expressed outrage using various forms of profanity (it’s the internet after all).
I suspected that these would be a large portion of the reactions based on observations of other news stories on the internet and on some other research I’ve done about how people read on the internet. The last reaction is what bothered me.
For those that read to the end of the article and saw my little disclaimer (even if someone else pointed it out to you), I wasn’t intended or expected anyone to get disappointed. In hindsight, I should have expected the response since I suppose I did write up the ultimate Transformers fans’ dream scenario for a new movie. For all of you and for anyone else that I am disappointing right now, I want to say: