The End of Facebook - Can You Spot the Irony?

So apparently a rumor took off this past weekend about the imminent shutdown of Facebook.  It went viral, as they say because for some reason in the 21st century we've decided to equate popularity with pathology.  Which in the case of Facebook is a fairly apt description of the social dynamic it embodies. 

Be that as it may, the rumor spread like wildfire on all the social networks (Irony Alert #1).  March 15, 2011 was the reported date of terminus for Zuckerberg's Folly - leaving the world with more than 18 months to mope around without Farmville or "What Kind of Dog Are You?" quizzes before the world ends for good on December 21, 2012, as foretold by those nutty Mayan kids.  And without Facebook, I suppose we would have been good and ready to go.

But like most Internet rumors, the one about the demise of Facebook is unfounded.  The real truth is that - OK, there are two truths here, and you can take your pick:  People Are Thick, or The Internet Is A Squalid Trough of Lies.  You can also mix and match. 

See if you can follow this:  The Huffington Post reported that ABC News reported that The Weekly World News originally reported the rumor in an online story dated January 8th.  The Weekly World News, people.  Huff Post rather generously describes the site as "satirical."  Ha ha, Huff Post!  You're not so bad at satirizing the news yourself sometimes.  But I should point out that TWWN this weekend also featured the headlines "Alien Spaceships to Attack Earth in 2011" and "Mike Tyson Pigeon Fetish."  I don't know why these stories didn't go viral.  Maybe fans of aliens and Mike Tyson have been burned by false hopes too many times and are thus more discerning of the truth. 

Anyway, for better or for worse, unless you also believe that Megan Fox Is A Man, you can bet that Facebook isn't going anywhere on March 15th.  Facebook itself put the rumor to rest on Sunday - via Twitter.  (Irony Alert #2)