cherryforward

Cherryforward is a term used in online discourse to describe the practice of forwarding or resharing content after selective editing or curation that highlights favorable aspects while omitting conflicting context. It functions as a label for patterns of information dispatch across social platforms, forums, and messaging apps, where the audience encounters a version of a source rather than the full material.

Origin and scope: The coinage blends cherry-picking and forwarding. It first appeared in informal discussions in the late 2010s and has grown in usage in political, corporate, and media contexts during the 2020s. Some users distinguish cherryforwarding from ordinary sharing by the deliberate trimming of context.

Practice and examples: Typical forms include forwarding a press release with only favorable quotes, excerpting a debate to exclude counterarguments, or applying automated filters that shield recipients from dissenting details. In many communities, reviewers discuss cherryforwarding as a shorthand for selective disclosure rather than a neutral summary.

Reception and impact: Critics argue that cherryforwarding distorts context, erodes trust, and contributes to misinformation or misinterpretation. Advocates contend it can provide concise, relevant summaries in information-saturated environments, though calls for transparency about edits and provenance are common.

See also: cherry-picking, content curation, information forwarding; cherryforwarding as a broader phenomenon in digital communication.