On social media , untrue stories about the Boston terror attacks have gone viral quickly . A photo falsely purported to show a man who had come to propose to his girlfriend . People thought cell phone service was shut down by authorities , but it was n't . In the aftermath of dramatic events like Monday 's bombing attack at the Boston Marathon , it 's a truth of our times that millions of people will get early bits of news via social media . Tragedy is ` ` best and worst '' of Twitter , one professional says .
On social media , untrue stories about the Boston terror attacks have gone viral quickly . A photo falsely purported to show a man who had come to propose to his girlfriend . People thought cell phone service was shut down by authorities , but it was n't . Tragedy is ` ` best and worst '' of Twitter , one professional says .