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Wednesday is April Fools' Day, but this year it's decidedly the wrong moment for online pranks — even though tech companies have reveled in them for several years now.
The big picture: The genre was getting a bit tired even before the pandemic — and many things that might be funny in ordinary times simply aren't funny right now.
What's happening: Perennial pranksters Google and T-Mobile promised to forgo the jokes this year and many, many people have expressed the fervent hope that others will follow suit.
- Case in point: A Korean pop star deactivated his Instagram account Wednesday after panicking — and then angering — fans with a prank post claiming he’d contracted coronavirus.
The bottom line: It's probably best to treat online posts you encounter with extra skepticism. That said, it's good to do that every day. So maybe read Twitter every day as if it was April Fools' Day.