On Saturday, there was an attempt to take former President Donald Trump's life.
He survived, but what has transpired on social media since has not accurately represented what took place.
"It's gradually becoming a cesspool of misinformation," said Dr. Paromita Pain, Associate Professor of Global Media at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Dr. Pain says an event of this magnitude brings people from all over the world to share their thoughts and opinions online.
She says often time, social media users will trust posts based on a like count rather than checking for credibility.
"People who have seen that post, 'oh so many people are saying this' 'so oh so many people must be right'."
The professor says typically by the time these posts are fact checked and the proper information is out there, sometimes it's too late.
"There is a saying that misinformation and fake news has already traveled the world twice before the truth has even got its boots on," Dr. Pain said.Â
There have been a lot of conspiracy theories online about the assassination attempt.
Dr. Pain says she typically sees these posts come from right winged accounts, but she says most of the conspiracies in this instance are coming from liberal users.
While it can be difficult to decipher what's true and what's not, the professor says users should take a step back before reposting.
"Read if you must," she said. "Do not share. Do not like. Do not engage because on social media it's engagement that draws eyeballs."
Dr. Pain says when an event like this happens, credible sources, such as law enforcement and news outlets, have not had the time to verify information.
That is why she suggests waiting it out until the factual information gets posted.
She says that spreading false information for this event can be quite dangerous.
"You do not want misinformation surrounding an incident that can have international implications."
