A group of students tricked millions of people after their “viral video” was revealed to have been a college assignment.
Sydney Arlt, a student a Missouri State University posted a video claiming her professor had thrown a party instead of having an exam, but that no one turned up.
It showed a handful of pupils sitting in an empty classroom while the teacher looked upset at the front of the class.
The video has been viewed almost 7.8 million times, with 71,000 retweets and 343,000 likes.
But Professor Andrew Cline, who lectures in media at the university, revealed the task of “going viral” had been set as an assignment.
He told Buzzfeed News that the class was “designed to be failed” and that no students had ever done this well.
But Ms Arlt’s group all received an A for their success in fooling millions.
Many Twitter users who were duped tweeted their well-wishes to Professor Cline, with some even claiming they would send him a Christmas card.
