Photos of actor Tom Cruise sitting on top of the world’s tallest structure— Dubai’s 2,722-foot-tall Burj Khalifa skyscraper—have gone viral this week on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Cruise could be seen casually sitting barefoot on top of the building’s antenna structure in the photos. He didn’t appear to be wearing a safety harness.
Some on X and then on Reddit quickly questioned whether the photos were real and whether Cruise was wearing any safety gear, while many speculated how and when he made the climb.
It’s Old News
The photos shared this week weren’t new, and it wasn’t even the first time there had been a debate over the authenticity of the images and the use of a safety harness. A similar discussion occurred on social media previously, when two years ago; it made the rounds on Facebook with users comparing Cruise’s coolness to that of Will Smith, who didn’t seem quite so calm despite wearing a visual safety harness.
The answers to the questions were just a few clicks away as Snopes reported in June 2021 and then updated the story in January 2023, “This is a genuine photograph of Tom Cruise sitting on top of the Burj Khalifa, but he is almost certainly wearing a harness.”
The fact-checking website noted that the photograph was taken in 2011 when Cruise was filming Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, which saw his character Ethan Hunt repel down the side of the building.
As Snopes further reported, Cruise even talked about climbing to the top of the world when he appeared on the BBC’s The Graham Norton Show while promoting the film!
Short Attention Spans On Social Media
Could this lack of remembering be a new trend related to social media?
In recent years, there has been much attention focused on the “Mandela Effect,” the phenomenon named by paranormal researcher Fiona Broome, who was among those who wrongly recalled South African President Nelson Mandela had died in the 1980s. She and many others said they could remember news coverage of Mandela’s funeral, even though he later became the leader of South Africa and only passed away in 2013.
Instead of a Mandela Effect, there is almost a collective amnesia among users on the social platforms, which results in the same images being shared and then debated over and over, while something from the past goes viral again years after the fact.
Yet, this may be far easier to explain than why people may remember events that never occurred.
“People have a short attention span and are deluged with images, which explains why the same pictures show up every few years. We have simply forgotten them,” quipped technology industry analyst Roger Entner of Recon Analytics.
“We’ve also seen notable figures in entertainment, who passed away three or four years ago, will have their obit shared as if they had just died. The nature of these platforms amplifies these details and before you know it, the obit is trending,” added Jason Mollica, lecturer in the School of Communication Studies at James Madison University.
Social Media Is Where People Get News
Perhaps this issue of short attention spans wouldn’t be noteworthy were it not for the fact that the majority of Americans are now getting their news on social media. In addition to the threat of misinformation and disinformation, it would seem that users can’t even keep track of what has already been shared, discussed, debated, and debunked years ago.
In the case of Tom Cruise being barefoot on the top of the world’s tallest structure, we can accept that some people haven’t seen it or didn’t know about it, explained Scott Talan, assistant professor of public relations & strategic communication at American University.
“To them, it’s new, and that makes it news,” said Talan. “For others that knew about it it is a little of a ‘wait is this return a repeat?’ Most people don’t check deeper.”
Notable, however, is how few individuals on X and Reddit this week did any research, or they would have found that the image of Cruise was more than a decade old. Instead, the discussion repeated the same argument from years ago, with little attempt to delve into its details.
“Essentially social media is entertainment, and just like we watch reruns of popular shows, we get reruns of popular content,” Entner added. “News on social media is not necessarily new, but new to you. If you are looking for deep understanding, insights, or even a balanced view on social media then you are on a fool’s errand.”
It’s News To Them, And That’s Good Enough
At its simplest, social media is increasingly where people share what is news, or newsworthy to them. The fact that news gets repeated isn’t a problem, either.
“I don’t think it shows that social media is a bad place to share news,” Mollica continued. “Even though we see plenty of misinformation around politics, there is a reason why many brands continue to use platforms like X, Facebook, and Instagram.”
Mollica pointed to a Pew Research report from October, that found 53% of adults under 30 were nearly as likely to have at least some trust in the information that comes from social media sites.
“Does this mean information shared on those sites is always correct or factual? No,” said Mollica. “Likewise, the repeat of old events, images, etc.—and the debate that follows—is just part of social media. While some people trust social networks implicitly, it is never a bad thing to fact-check something before you hit share.”
The other takeaway, said Talan, is that none of the platforms were really designed to share news.
“But this is what we’ve turned it into for a good portion of people,” Talan added.
“There are better ways to get trusted news sources, where you can make sure what you’re seeing is actually news. That of course takes time and effort, and for most people, they don’t do that.”
So that is why there are those who every few years believe Tom Cruise just climbed Burj Khalifa. A simple search would provide all the facts, which would immediately end any of the discussions.
“Confirming something is actually real takes only a little bit of effort,” said Talan.
Offering an opinion on social media and debating with strangers is just so much easier!
