28-year-old James Potok, self-professed #ViralBoy, made a very tasteless joke with a view to going viral. The Instagrammer falsely claimed to have coronavirus (2019-nCoV) on a plane. The WestJet flight he was on from Toronto to Jamaica was forced to turn around and land.

Unfortunately, this was the result of the ‘likes’ culture. James did this because he wanted to go viral. In an interview with Global News, he recalled having previously gone viral with a very different claim. He is quoted as saying, “I figured it would invoke some type of reaction. Not on the plane; more people seeing on social media, going, ‘Wow, this kid’s got some balls,’ or, ‘this kid is crazy.‘”

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