"Don't believe all you see on the internet." Gone are the days our elders use this sentence, now it is on us to tell them.

"Do you just sit around all day and figure out if things fit in holes" Having spent time working in an ER, can confirm that is exactly what many people do.

As an Indian and someone who has suffered the blunt force of relatives sending *Good Morning* messages, yeah shit is real.

I have to admit, it is nice to know that regardless of skin color, nationality, language, or religion, everyone has that one family member that can ruin a good mood with one message.

Last Week Tonight team, if you’re reading these comments: having subtitles in multiple languages (Chinese for me) for this video would be IMMENSELY helpful. I would honestly sit my parents down and have them watch this, because this is exactly how they’ve been radicalized and mislead. The tragic irony in all this is that I can’t easily find anything in their native language that goes in-depth like this about the spread of misinformation in immigrant communities via private chat apps. Best I have in my arsenal is Chinese subtitles for The Social Dilemma. It’s such an uphill battle. Beyond the awesome greeting animations, subtitles in multiple languages would be an incredible gift to help with this issue.

As an Indian, I can assure you that John Oliver is NOT exaggerating when he's talking about those Good Morning forwards. LWT could do an entire episode on WhatsApp in India alone.

"Our uncles and aunties have PhDs in Science but that's no match for WhatsApp" I'M DYING 😂😂😂

"Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar." - Edward R. Murrow

Parents 2005: "Don't belive everything you read on the internet" Same parents 2021: "I got it from the internet, it has to be true"

As an Indian, those good morning messages are exactly what i receive from my parents, my uncles and aunts , my relatives, any elderly person added in my whatsapp. 😂😂😂 This is so accurate 😆😆

The fabulous idea that the finally living on her own college kid could convince their uncle/aunt/mom/dad to stop sharing misinformation through a simple phone call is WILD. My family would call me a commie liberal so fast if I tried to convince them their "memes" were trash.

I love how suddenly after John Oliver emerged from the white void his studio background suddenly changed from glossy 21st century international skyline to futuristic cyberpunk hellscape straight out of 'Blade Runner' and 'Akira'.

90s parents be like: child, don't trust everything on the internet. 2020s kids be like: parents, don't trust everything on the internet.

I know English is not the focus here, but hearing a 20 minute piece about misinformation and not hearing Donald Trump’s name said a single time, not even for a joke, is incredibly refreshing.

Meanwhile my family group chat consists of "hey I'm at the grocery store any last minute requests" or "turn down your music it's giving me a headache" Not sure how we avoided this rabbit hole but I'm glad we did

As the kid of Indian parents, I can attest that that guy was 100% right. My parents have engineering degrees, but my mom still believes every single fake ayurvedic she reads on WhatsApp.

It’s so funny that the same parents who told us to “be careful online” are now getting absolutely destroyed by it.

after trying to awkwardly explain to my friends who have never heard of WeChat about how my Asian immigrant parents went from democrats to hard-core tr*mp fans, I’m surprised and impressed that someone as well-known as John Oliver is addressing this exact problem. Thank you for bringing attention to this!

The ONE benefit I had/ still have as someone who became immunocompromised at age 10 and grew up with over protective latino immigrant parents is that they actually fact check any "medical advice" they got/get from WhatsApp Tias on "how to improve immunity" and listened to credible medical sources bc they were terrified of losing me. Of course there was a VERY low risk of me dying but like I said, they were overprotective.

This was like a balm for my soul. The number of times my family has forwarded garbage on WhatsApp and I've been unable to fact check it because it was Nigeria-centric is maddening. And yes, I am on two 20+ chats. The irony was that we started one to escape the misinformation on the other.

Misinformation has been so rampant in the Asian community that we joke about our parents getting a PhD from WeChat University.

That “Grow up” was very satisfying he hasn’t yelled at the audience in a very long time.

My mother got so mad that I posted a link on her FB post from a credible source that she unfriended me on FB, then sent me a friend request a week later, then got mad at me again when I said she was the one who took me off her FB for telling the truth. She told me to stop being childish🙄😆

14:16 I love when John said "Grow up". 😂🤣😂🤣

Reminds me of my parents in the 90's "Never trust anything you read on the internet, it's all evil. ALL of the internet is evil. They want to hurt you. Don't believe anything!" And now, in 2021 "huh, looks like birds aren't real. I guess that makes sense. I read it on Facebook, so it must be real!" Literally, the same person

This episode is SO IMPORTANT. There is rampant misinformation in Spanish language and it is - with no exaggeration - killing our communitites.

You know a country is in a bad place when a comedian is more informative than the "news."

God I'm glad John has a live audience again. He's SO much better with a live audience.

“Who is in group chats of over 20 people?” - laughs in large Mexican family 😬🤣

As an Indian, I can tell you all that my relatives flipped out when I pointed out that the forwarded message was nonsense. The argument was so bad I eventually left the family group as it was plain exhausting!

The morning greetung message is not a joke. I see them in the family group chat EVERYDAY.

Apparently misinformation like this can spread very easily in indigenous communities as well, mainly because they have a great deal of distrust in their governments. Which is pretty understandable given all the genocide. I've been told that's why uptake of covid vaccines on reserves is very low right now.

Kind of heartwarming and at the same time horrifying to know aunties that forward conspiracies in messenger apps exist in all cultures all over the world

As an Indian, I can verify that the samosa meme indeed did have a much bigger impact than intended. He's right.

This point of misinformation being spread through whatsapp is so painfully true. From small details like "benefits of eating xx" to full blown conspiracy theories. My parents have a hard time identifying fake news from real ones, so I tend to be the one pointing it out to them. Unfortuantely this happens too often.

UKposts is not screamingly bad. Without it, I would never have found you. 😍

I have a rather clever aunt, she always forwards stuff she's unsure about to me and her son to fact-check first before taking further measures lol

John, do more!! Please translate this piece into several languages so we can share it too! We are exhausted fighting disinformation.

The first time I heard of Alex Jones was when he appeared in the 2020 election, claiming Trump was going to be the president "One way or another." That prompted me to do some digging on him, which led me to one of his videos, claiming that something in some lake was "making the freaking frogs Gay." Now, I am NOT an expert in biology, neither do I understand chimestry, but I couldn't help but to laugh at such absurdities. Yet, I swallowed all that laughter while reading the comments on the video, and realizing that there were people who actually believe he was telling the truth.

Yes, I think we all agree misinformation on social networking is a problem… But the bigger problem is who will be in charge of policing it

Harambe never would have fallen for misinformation. Rest in peace, king

That Indian Good morning message bit is incredibly accurate 😂

This tv show has done / does more for democracy in the U.S. than any American public institution.

I love me some John Oliver in the evening.

My family is Vietnamese and my parents out of nowhere started to talk about election fraud, vaccine misinformation...etc and I couldn't figure out why, I was blaming it on Facebook, but now it all makes sense cause I be seeing them watching this "King News" guy a lot

"Sadly, our story is not going to be about the fun side of the internet tonight." Damn. Still waiting for the episode of LWT where it's just cat videos.

It feels so empowering to hear someone as smart, talented and different as John Oliver talking about issues that impact the struggles of living in the US DESPITE not being born or raised here like us. Thank you John!

This is why in Australia I can't stress how important the ABC and SBS stations are here. They're our national and international voices that keep people informed regardless what language they speak. It's hard to get every language though, hopefully one day that can be improved! (I listen not just in English, but Hungarian too and very impressed with them.) Also it's not just oldies falling for this. Most people at anti vaxx protests here are under 30 typically early 20s.That's concerning that we stopped educating people properly about health at school after I turned 15. That's a fucking scary thought.

As a Bangladeshi girl who spends every day debunking conspiracy theories from UKposts to her mom and aunt, I painfully relate to this.

"If it doesn't happen in English it doesn't fundamentally matter." That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

Been arguing with my parents about forwarding such videos and thank god my parents are sane and understand not to accept anything that's written online blindly.

I left all family whatsapp groups, but am now tempted to rejoin just to share those good morning videos and GIFs!

Please, please, PLEASE make this into a bunch of different languages so that this can be shared.

honestly the audience being back is nice, John couldn't yell "grow up" to the void's love of the MCU

That clip from the Indian fella is an absolute gem!

Hi! I’m a biochemist. My father and mother know this. I told him all about viral infections when the pandemic started. He still went on Fb and started taking weird shakes like ginger, onions and garlic mixed with turmeric and cinnamon. He was convinced it was “the cure”. It could of been worst. If anything, he got a massive boost of antioxidants and anti-inflammation compounds with lots of vitamins and minerals! so not all bad. However, it is wild how Fb has become a way to spread lies and hook mostly uneducated (on the subject) or foreign or older individuals.

John Oliver: "Don't believe all you see on the internet" me: nodding along as I watch this on the internet

In India we have a phrase called "Whatsapp University" for people getting all their news from Whatsapp

Just ignoring the irony of John Oliver talking about misinformation

The woman at the beginning was so funny The voice The niche interest in things narrowly fitting into holes Her question at the end and the way John answered it 😂

Teaching my mom how to look up and research things on the internet was the best thing that ever happened to my life... She never sends me those things anymore, instead, she calls out people on their bullshit in her newsfeed... its beautiful!😆

As a Vietnamese I am saddened by the fact that I no more hold the virtuous superiority of not having a version of Alex Jones over an American...

Here in the UK, we prefer our misinformation printed in The Mail or written on a big red bus.

It’s great to see the studio back, getting back to normality is a great thing. I’ve literally forgotten that COVID exists for weeks

As an Indian American son with WhatsApp, this is one of the most relatable segments I have ever watched

Our elders used to tell us “don’t believe everything you read on the internet” now we say it to them

That Marvel burn was amazing.

I think it’s an extension of the culture shock. I noticed that a lot with taxidrivers that I know well. For the most part they only really associate in their own communities, they generally speak to people from their own culture at work when they aren’t driving, or when they are driving, they are either on the phone to their friends from the same culture, or on the phone to somebody back home. So literally everything they are hearing is from a friend of a friend of mine who sends them a video about something or whatever. I used to go to school with a South Korean chick who moved to Australia to improve her English, but she found the whole experience of a different culture and language so threatening that for comfort she only spoke to other Koreans in their own language, she only attended Korean church, and every day she would speak to her family in Korea on the phone for three hours. She was living in Australia but she had no idea what was actually going on in Australia unless she heard it from friends, Who are also experiencing the same thing as her. and that’s before you even broach the topic of the fact that what is being pumped out in English isn’t all that much better. So what hope do some of these people have. Ever wonder why so many immigrants don’t like immigrants? Because of this exact problem. Not being able to affectively communicate in a language that you need to leaves you blind and easy prey for manipulation. Look at the Cubans, all you have to do is say Castro Castro at them and they will get in line and do what you want out of pure Tara

As a Vietnamese person, welcome to a glimmer of what it’s like in a Viet household.

I guarantee Alex Jones just snapped his fingers and cursed the fact that he didn't think of calling himself "King Radio".

John Oliver is my #1 source for misinformation.

Russel Brand’s yt on misinformation policy paints a very different perspective.

How I wish this episode has subtitles in all major languages so we can show it to our parents who don’t speak English, my mom is exactly like the one who mentioned in this video, she believes almost anything sent by her friends from whatspp and it’s so draining to have to correct her all the time without being able to stop it the spread of misinformation.

God as a Chinese immigrant when WeChat was mentioned I felt personally attacked LMAO. The conspiracy theories and baseless statements that spread in WeChat groups is genuinely insane and it is practically uncheckable, especially when Chinese culture emphasizes a respect for elders that stops most younger people like me from fact checking their idiotic articles. Thank you so much for this coverage! Although I would also love to see a story on the Pandora Papers released this week, the investigative work is incredibly admirable and the jaw dropping information is definitely worth an episode.

As John said, I find it somehow reassuring that we share the exasperation and messaging habits are so shared across the board

As someone whos been studying multiple languages for several years (Turkish, Korean, Russian, and Gaelic), and dreams of being a polyglot, this video definitely inspires me to help translate reputable sources into other languages for people. Holy shit. 🙏❤️

I usually don't comment much, but John Oliver"s "Grow up!" delivery and timing deserves all the praise in the world.

At least 80% of the political "news" my family shares with me is easily debunked with two minutes of googling, and we're English speaking. It's insane how otherwise intelligent people just go along with this shit.

Damn john, you hit the nail on the head with this one. -Fellow Indian

Shout-outs to all my fellow Vietnamese, somehow I knew he was going to bring up my people

Oh the number of times I've had to debunk absolutely garbage claims, even by qualified people like doctors (yes!!!), is terrifying! As a PhD in Chemistry, I consider it my obligation to read up about chemical names that people immediately find credible and fact check their 'effects'. I am what you call a "party pooper" in a lot of Whatsapp University Misinformation Parties (and I wear that ugly crown with pride)!

Older people: “be careful about what you post on the internet. Don’t believe anything you read” Also them:

It’s kind of validating to know the younger gens seeing through obvious internet crap is universal

John's good morning message was way less aggressively pleasant than the Indian messages... There was absence of bad quality editing, sun, the first MS Word font ever made, and that scorching brightness that gives that euphoric punch to the retina.

As an Indian millennial having to respond to those aggressive good morning messages as if you have actually bothered to read them is the worst thing I do on a daily basis

"Our aunties and uncles have PhDs in science but that's no match to Whatsapp" haha so true, sadly. This entire episode summarizes why I left the app a couple of years ago.

You know who was a victim of misinformation? Harambe. Rest in peace, king.

Aggressively pleasant is truly all I hope to be in life

On the topic of fighting misinformation for non-english speakers, it would be nice if these videos were subtitled, at least in the most commonly spoken languages.

My god I've waited so long for someone to articulate exactly how painful it is to constantly quell the bullshit

I hope you're watching, UKposts. Seems like you obviously have some legal stuff to do. Misinformation is dangerous. I deal with it in my life from friends and family. Please stop allowing it. Thank you for your help, John!

I caused a it of a stir in the family when my Aunt shared a Britain First post and I pointed out that they wrap their bigotry in nationalism. My uncle is retired armed forces, so she tend to post patriotic stuff about the flag and supporting "our boys" (the troops).

SOMEONE IS FINALLY CALLING OUT THE GOOD MORNING MESSAGES THANK YOU JOHN ayyo thanks for the likes :)

I'm a vietnamese and the fact that I only know about King Radio through John is a blessing. That is quite frightening to see things like that

“If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're misinformed.” ― Mark Twain

Thank you for not staying quiet about the letter “q.” It’s about time people spoke up

I was a university professor in South Korea for 9 years. Getting students to source their research was a real challenge. First, NAVER and Kakao were considered by many writers to be THE source. Second, Confucian culture inculcates the student to accept all knowledge transfer from a teacher to a student as FACT. Thus, students rarely questioned the opinions of their teachers or sources, as this information is considered truth.

As someone living in Mexico, boy am I glad almost none of my older relatives have an active Facebook account. Basically most of them use it for sharing silly memes, something that definitely falls into the fun side of the internet.

7:55 This hit close to home as a Mexican American whose mom is constantly forwarding these to them everyday

When he said "You know the drill" at 13:55, I love and hate that I nodded subconsciously. I do know the drill Tiktok fellow.