This question goes to you: Why do so many people believe this fake?
What's more, since this fake makes many people angry, do you think this anger could have an impact on their behavior in reality? This raises the general question of the extent to which fakes can be a social problem.
Whether asylum seekers really receive a Christmas bonus of €700 can be clarified quickly, as we have already covered this topic MULTIPLE times. At the same time, just click on the link that spreads this message. This message comes from a website called “nachrichten.de.com”.
It is a site where anyone can create their own fake. The story is completely made up. But how can such an obvious fake be shared 100,000 times?
First, the facts: An article from the website “nachrichten.de.com” claims that asylum seekers would receive a Christmas bonus of €700. To top it off, these should also be used as Christmas presents for those staying at home.
This is 100% a lie and has no basis in reality. There is no other source that reports this and the ominously named site “nachrichten.de.com” is also a fake news site where everyone can create their own fake news. If you click on the article, you will also be offered this directly below:
In the past we have repeatedly dealt with fakes of this site (example here ). It is a sister site with the same structure and function as “24aktuelles” , whose fakes we have often discussed ( all articles here ).
By the way, this topic came up almost exactly a year , that's how old the nonsense is already. And at the moment it is being spread unchecked again and is generating a lot of anger.
So, fake cleared up, job done, right?
We at Mimikama have been playing this game for many years now. No matter whether it is a fake of this site or another that works in the same way, no matter whether it is about this topic or another: We try to explain every day that such reports are NOT true. But as our experiences and studies show: our education is never as successful as the original fake and does not even reach many who believe the fake ( more information here ).
But with every new article, no matter how far-fetched or obvious, these reports spread like wildfire. I once published fake news about refugees myself ( “Scandal! Augsburg refugees are littering the city center! ”) – and it became the most shared article I have ever written.
Why do people share such reports, even if they can be revealed as fake with just one click? These people are not stupid or lazy. These people don't even care about the report and its truthfulness.
“Fake news? That does not matter!!"
Asylum seekers should receive a Christmas bonus of €700? Also for Christmas presents for their families left behind? What should people of mostly Muslim faith, who don't celebrate Christmas, do with Christmas presents in a war zone? Why should the German state suddenly have €700 to give away? And to asylum seekers of all people? And don't you get your Christmas bonus from your employer and not from the state? None of this makes any sense and should immediately make you suspicious.
However, these absurdities do not cause those who share this fake to view this report with suspicion, but on the contrary, to become even more upset about it. They find the idea absurd (rightly!) that something like this could happen - and that's why they share it. Precisely because they believe it could be true!
What I found most telling were these comments on this article:
“It doesn’t matter!!!” – It’s not about the truth of this report at all. And if we at Mimikama reveal this, no one who originally shared this message will care. Because whether the report is true or not is a matter of “little things”:
“That could be true.”
Why a fake like this appeals so strongly to people and encourages them to share it - whether it's true or not! – is because it feels true. We humans initially believe everything that sounds plausible. That’s the definition of “plausible.” And whether this specific report is true or not doesn't matter, because people are upset that we supposedly live in a state where this could be possible. And that is where the outrage is directed. People are not upset about the report, but rather about the image they have of Germany.
And we can't debunk this perception so easily at Mimikama. The commenter in the last screenshot then listed a few examples of why this report could be true: Because he/she has already read many reports in which something similar supposedly happened. I won't list the examples separately, but each one was a different fake, and we at Mimikama have even dealt with almost all of them ourselves.
The death of all skepticism: the filter bubble
People believe these false reports because they have already seen dozens of similar false reports, but never found out that they were fakes. If you only find out that 1 out of 10 reports were wrong, that one doesn't make any difference, does it?
I don't want to claim that everything this person or people like him believe is wrong. There are not only false and true reports. We also often review clickbait messages that have a kernel of truth but are taken out of context or leave out important information. Then there are we refer to as “hybrid fakes” in which either the image shows a real situation but the associated text is incorrect, or the content of the text is correct but is depicted incorrectly.
Images taken out of context, exaggerated representations and pure fake news mix with, of course, true stories and incidents and this creates a closed world view. You only read pages whose contents you believe to be true because they confirm your world view and you only socialize with people who have the same opinion. The Facebook algorithm also helps you by only wanting to show you what you like. This is how you slip into a so-called “filter bubble”. Each of us is in our own!
That's why fake news like this is so successful
And whether the report that asylum seekers receive a €700 Christmas bonus is true or not (it is not): it becomes one of many. And studies also show that the more often you hear something, the better and more true you think it is ( mere exposure effect ). That's why you eventually like the annoying pop song that keeps playing on the radio.
We do everything we can with our small team of mostly volunteers and get to the bottom of every report so that people can be well informed and base their world view on facts and facts instead of having their opinion dictated by their filter bubble allow.
But you have to do the rest yourself: Yes, question every report skeptically, even and especially when it “could be true”. This applies to everyone, no matter what political position you hold! All sides have their “weak points” – each of us believes some myths! We can check individual reports and give you instructions (here) on how to better assess reports. But only you can improve your “fake sense” and break through your filter bubble!

Thomas Laschyk, editor-in-chief Volksverpetzer journalist, blogger, and online activist from Augsburg. On his blog Volksverpetzer, Laschyk deals critically and creatively with topics ranging from federal and world politics to economics, finance and socio-political issues. Support the people's verpetzer with a small monthly contribution!
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )




