First, Beyonce was pregnant. Then Kanye West died a few times. And I’m pretty sure, at some point, Christine O’Donnell became a witch.

These claims have one thing in common: they were all “substantiated,” in some way as a trending topic on Twitter. It’s an idea I’ve been throwing around a lot in my mind. Twitter, as a driving force for entertainment news nowadays, is in an authoritative place for many people (including some news outlets). These rumors and speculations spread like wildfire, though no one can ever seem to trace trending topics to their source once they blow up.

He saids and she dids are rampant on Twitter, but users should always take a step back and try to analyze the validity of posts before they retweet and perpetuate more lies and confusion. It’s a good practice in research and deliberate thinking, which are some things that have unfortunately been trampled on in youth culture of America. It’s all about being the fastest and getting the information out there to your “tweeps.” Become a solid source of gossip and you get followers like nobody’s business.

But as a small point of interest, I’d recommend slowing down a bit. Beyonce’s publicist probably won’t get back to you when pregnancy rumors spread, but you can always take time to wait and find out.