【Married Women’s Sex Party】

On Facebook,Married Women’s Sex Party each single serving of truth comes with a heaping side of bullshit.

Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Anthony Fauci talked all things coronavirus Monday afternoon, but if you tuned in to the Facebook livestream you'd be forgiven for missing the finer points of the discussion. That's because the often deranged user comments, running alongside the conversation and overflowing with COVID-19 misinformation, had a tendency to distract.

As the coronavirus death toll continues to climb in the United States — passing 266,000 as of this writing — Dr. Fauci took the opportunity to speak with the Facebook CEO about the efficacy of Pfizer and Moderna's coronavirus vaccines as well as the timeline for their availability in the U.S. And while he was encouraging on both points, you wouldn't know it had you taken a moment to avail yourself of the broader connection Facebook makes possible.

Of the over 48,000 comments left during the course of the interview, many read like poorly written parodies of anti-vaxxers gone off the deep end.

"I'm not getting your fucking vaccine, you quack," read a typical comment.

"Oh now you want us to use vaccines because you're pushing it," read another. "Anyone seen I am legend... That was a vaccine too.. Ya'll see what happened there🤣😂 Not happening Zuck[.]"

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Charming. Credit: screenshot / facebook

"People take your vitamins get some exercise take charge of your own health don't rely on a vaccine from the Devil," encouraged another deeply misinformed Facebook user.

It's worth mentioning, of course, that vaccines undergo extensive clinical trails — and the current coronavirus vaccines are no exception. In fact, Dr. Fauci mentioned this very point repeatedly. However, if the Facebook comments were any indication, he didn't appear to sway the scores of commenters convinced that vaccines are the "mark of the beast" or contain some sort of secret "small chip."

And then, of course, there was the usual internet vitriol of "Go and kill yourself idiots."

That classic social media greeting was sprinkled with conspiracy theories old and new, such as "WHY WERE YOU ON EPSTEINS ISLAND" and "Illuminati NWO puppets[.]"

Importantly, these are not just the cherry-picked comments of a reporter looking to prove a point. If you pull up a recording of the conversation after it concludes, Facebook kindly provides users the options to sort comments by the "most relevant." Selecting that option highlights dangerous vaccine misinformation.

Well that's not good. Credit: screenshot / facebook

Yes, if you're logged in, Facebook gives you the option to "hide" the comment section. That the spigot of misinformation is turned on by default, however, is sure to expose those in search of authoritative sources to lies. In a pandemic, that's especially worrisome.

SEE ALSO: Facebook argues its own tool showing conservative dominance isn't 'fully representative'

All in all, the conversation between Zuckerberg and Dr. Fauci was a depressing reminder of how Facebook serves to bury even valuable information — in this case the words coming out of Dr. Fauci's mouth — in an avalanche of hate, conspiracy theories, and dangerous science denialism.

Related Video: How these filmmakers made a pandemic documentary during a pandemic

Topics Facebook Social Media

• Shopping
• Science
• Social Good
• Tech
• Deals
• Games
• Entertainment
• Digital Culture

• Summon Your Tech Kids to the White House Day
• Tesla delays semi truck debut to focus on Puerto Rico aid and Model 3
• Should you watch the 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' trailer tonight?
• Bauer Media appeals against Rebel Wilson's $3.6 million defamation payout
• Trumpspeak
• 'Street Fighter' pro's latest strategy involves... a tape measure
• Smartphones are more interesting now than they've been in years
• Safelite has seen 'Saturday Night Live' sketch, and they aren't happy
• Feminists of the Basque Country
• A Batman video game showed a real image of a slain Russian ambassador

• Yes, this detailed 3D
• Fans uncover the backstory for the next 'Legend of Zelda'
• Google has some bad news for Trump ahead of his big day
• Haunting images and footage show devastation of Italian avalanche
• Ryan Lochte would really like to put his poor life decisions behind him
• President Obama is peak dad in White House snow day photos
• Teen turns leg into Van Gogh painting to cope with self
• This playlist for Trump's inauguration will burn your ears off
• Slack is about to get a lot less confusing with threaded messages
• Girl Scouts will march in the Inaugural Parade, disappointing some of their biggest fans

• The Long View in Granada
• 10 tricks for saving your phone's battery life
• Smartphones are more interesting now than they've been in years
• McDonald's is testing out a McVegan burger in Finland
• Engineered for Dystopia
• Rick and Morty fans and McDonald's prove we can't have nice things
• McDonald's is testing out a McVegan burger in Finland
• AOL Instant Messenger is being laid to rest and the internet is mourning very loudly
• The Madness of King Musk
• 'Thor: Ragnarok' review roundup: Critics react

• Transfer Steam Games to a New Drive Without Redownloading
• Why teenage boys don't want to call themselves feminists
• McDonald's relents to rabid 'Rick and Morty' fans, promises more Szechuan sauce
• Sony's bringing back an old favorite to get back into AI
• The Online Culture Wars
• Photographer dangles models off a 30
• Harvey Weinstein has been fired amid sexual harassment accusations
• New York Comic Con 2017: Cosplayers bring the fire
• The Garbage Man
• New York Comic Con 2017: Cosplayers bring the fire