A digital wildfire is essentially¹ a false rumor² that spreads very rapidly in the online universe, typically through social media. It's a piece of misleading information that can rip through the public consciousness at breakneck speed, and the ramifications³ can be serious, even potentially dangerous.

 

Digital wildfire就是在网络上，尤其是社交媒体中，迅速传播的虚假言论，即“网络谣言”。这种言论是一种误导性的信息，能够以极快的速度攻破公众观念，其导致的结果可能会很严重，甚至有潜在危险性。

 

The concept underpinned⁴ by the expression digital wildfire is also sometimes described as simply digital misinformation. The metaphor⁵ of fire seems much more appealing however, aptly comparing the damage caused by the spread of misleading facts to the trail of destruction left in the wake of a wildfire. (Source: macmillandictionary.com)

 

“网络谣言”另外一个比较低调的说法是digital misinformation。不过，用火来做比喻似乎更加引人注意，而且这个说法巧妙地将传播误导性事实带来的破坏性结果比作野火烧过后留下的残迹。

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