Did Social Media Hype Spark Bedbug Hysteria in Paris?
It started as a trickle of complaints during Paris Fashion Week in late September — reports on social media of bedbugs crawling on seats in the metro, lurking in hotel rooms and infesting apartments. Then the trickle turned into a flood, with panicked fashionistas warning others about the pests on Twitter and TikTok and posting stomach-churning photos of infested mattresses tossed on sidewalks. The bedbug hysteria went viral, amplified by screaming tabloid headlines and intense media coverage as outlets from Le Monde to the BBC sounded the alarm. Anxious citizens petitioned the government to act, and officials responded with promises
November 03, 2023