In the last few weeks, there have been several high-profile death hoaxes in the news – most recently Josh Seiter of The Bachelorette.
A PR expert warned, however, that the trend will only get worse as celebrities and other personalities become more famous for being victims of death hoaxes.
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The U.S. Sun spoke with Eric Schiffer of Reputation Management Consultants in Los Angeles about the effects of hoaxes such as Seiter and Lil Tay.
Both times, social media accounts of celebrities were updated with death notices purporting to come from their families.
Both hoaxed deaths were widely reported until the public realised that they had been fabricated.
Tay as well Seiter claimed to have been hacked.
Jay-Z & Celine dion were also recent victims of death hoaxes.
Schiffer claimed that the effects of the hoax death have already taken place.
“In a bizarre way, they bring them instant attention, in many cases on a global level, despite the carnage intended by the hacker,” Schiffer said.
The brand has a more spiritual aspect because it transcends death and their fan’s unconscious.
“So those who thought they were dead now realize they’re not dead, and that positions them in this kind of quasi area between the greats who have died, like Elvis and Marilyn Monroe, and those who are alive and well in the flesh.
“It’s an interesting element because while there’s few that I’m aware of that have ever intended this as a hoax for their own attention, there’s a secondary benefit that many of them get when they’re hacked, the attempted con job ended up serving them with both instant attention and this further kind of spiritual positioning.”
“VIRAL POWER FOR THE STORY”
Both Tay and Seiter had alleged mental and domestic health problems.
In 2018, there were allegations of abuse on Tay Hope’s Instagram account.
There have also been allegations that her brother Jason was exploited, and a scuffle between Tay’s parents.
Sider’s social media posts have been open about his struggle with mental illness and his suicide attempts.
Schiffer stated that these issues, as well as others, could increase the likelihood of death hoaxes for certain celebrities.
“If a star has a history of mental health challenges or personal pain, be it family or internal, it lends credence to the hackers’ con job and creates a plausibility behind the headline that brings a viral power to the story,” Schiffer said.
“So you get this spontaneous combustion of plausible death that the media will jump on and the hacker is able to be silently delighted.”
“EVERYONE LOVES THE ATTENTION”
Tay and Seiter did not respond immediately to the death hoax.
Fans reacted immediately, posting condolences and tributes on social media.
Schiffer believes there could be a reason.
“Those that are subject to a death hoax are sometimes stunned and assume that it will go away and that people will just figure it out,” he said.
“And when it escalates in viral strength, at some point they’ve gotta step in.
“In certain cases, you have stars that may be incommunicado. Other times, it’s just everyone who likes to get attention.
“So why decapitate something that’s working for you?”
‘NEW LEVEL OF HORROR’
The hoaxes of Tay and Seiter went viral, and media across the nation picked them up.
Media coverage of hoaxes and hacker incidents continued.
Schiffer says that for these reasons and more, it is likely death hoaxes, as well as other frauds, will be around indefinitely.
“Death hoax will not die,” he said.
“We’ll likely see a lot more of them, especially given the continued strength of deep fakes.
“And at one point you’ll see a deep fake suicide, which will bring a whole new level of horror.”