Is it just me, or are conspiracy theories trending right now?

Submitted ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨adonis@kbin.social⁩ to ⁨[deleted]⁩

https://kbin.social/m/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world/t/274309

I'm using instagram to browse the discover feed mindlessly sometimes. I know, it's stupid, but I'm bored.

At some point a short video about conspiracy showed up, so I hang in there and watched it.

After mindlessly scrolling through the feed, more and more conspiracy stuff started showing up.

Also, a few days before, the coridor crew on YT uploaded a vlog how they made a fake video go viral.

And then there's the fuzz about the whistleblower, etc... resulting in many other YT videos referencing aliens, etc.

FWIW, I'm not actively searching for conspiracy topics, etc... it's just that I've noticed a trend rising up, and I can't be the only one, can I ?!

🛸👽

source

Comments

Sort:hotnew top

PineapplePartisan@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
You watched the video and scrolled the feed so the algo gave you more of it. Simple as that.

source
- anolemmi@lemmi.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Yup. The sad truth is there’s no shortage of videos out there just waiting for you to engage, they will feed you literally anything at all as long as it gives them a click and some advertising money. It’s the scariest part about social media and the algorithms, because many many people are not even conscious enough to question what they’re being fed, and will just mindlessly soak it all up and take it as fact.
  
  On the one hand yea it’s out of control and is partially to blame for the dumbing down of society, on the other hand it’s just the evolution of tabloids. People have always been bored and gullible.
  
  source
- adonis@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Sure, the algo suggested some of these videos multiple times, before I even watched one of them fully.
  
  source
  - Signtist@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    People who watch conspiracy videos tend to watch a lot of conspiracy videos, which the algorithm likes. So if your watch history suggests you might watch a conspiracy video, it’ll suggest them to you so that you’ll hopefully get pulled in and watch a bunch of videos.
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
  - Slacking@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    To add to the other reply, you also don’t need to watch a full video, they register slight pauses as you scroll. They also build a profile using all their platforms and multiple types of data.
    
    source
Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I’m growing convinced the media is trying to distract us from

labor strikes

that we just had the hottest 3 days in the last 150,000 years

that the Atlantic is record hot and we’re entering hurricane season

that Antarctica isn’t replenishing ice at what should be the peak of it’s winter

that a new gis report suggests the Pacific Northwest won’t have any sand beaches by the year 2100

that there’s a mass coral die off underway

or that we’ve got new records for the amount of greenhouse gases released

It’s been a bad news summer for people who hope to have a future
source
- LostCause@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  There is a website I like to use, News Minimalist: https://www.newsminimalist.com/
  
  And what was striking to me is, how many articles with highest significance score were about the climate in the last few weeks. Yet barely anybody is talking about it around me, and if I do bring it up everyone is quick to complain about the protesters who block roads.
  
  I feel pretty lost, have been for a while. My username is basically, condensing my feelings about humanity. I do hope for a better future, but I don‘t believe in it myself anymore, if that makes sense.
  
  source
DarkThoughts@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
YT, Instagram, FB etc. all use personalized algorithms. If they think you're into conspiracy bullshit, then they will drown you in conspiracy bullshit. The more you browser it, the more they'll suggest it to you. You're just feeding the algorithm and the algorithm feeds you back.

source
Yepthatsme@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Yea it’s basically criminals lying to distract dummies. It works well. The dude in North Carolina that puts out all the deep state shit is a convicted pedophile from NJ.

This Place Sucks on HBO is a good movie that exposes some of the bs spread by conspiretards.

source
Sanctus@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I want aliens to exist and be here as much as the next guy but this has all been suspicious to me. Especially with Matt Gaetz supporting letters pushing it.

source
WhoRoger@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
People just want aliens… Let them be, I say.

The whole UAP thing, and how it’s been handled since forever, and all the related stuff, that’s not helping things.

By “related stuff” I mean, for example, how the US congress people are after the Pentagon’s budget. My personal conspiracy theory is that their aim isn’t to save taxpayer money, but have a peek into more military projects so they can maybe find something to get a cut on. So it makes sense for them to make a ruckus about potential aliens instead.

See, conspiracy theories are easy to make. And honestly, with military/security/government shit, you truly never know.

source
- IchNichtenLichten@server1.duluth.lol ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  UAP business aside, I’m glad congress is asking questions. We shouldn’t be paying taxes and then have our money just disappear into a black hole with zero accountability and oversight.
  
  source
marcos@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I would expect it to be trending because of the US congress session on UFOs last week.

That said, you have no evidence it’s treading at all. You were just victim of the closed data-feed Midas touch, where everybody that touches trash becomes trash. Start blocking things now before you lose your feeds for good.

source
- HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  The funny thing about all this is that it is getting conspiracy people to agree with AOC, which I find hilarious.
  
  source
unimalion@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I have also noticed that there been more conspiracy videos, but for me it’s all been ufo related.

source
- anolemmi@lemmi.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  UFO videos - So hot right now!
  
  source
The_Mike_Drop@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
This too, is a conspiracy…

source
- ivanafterall@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Ah-ha! So you admit he was right!
  
  source
xc2215x@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Yeah. There are more of them now.

source
Yepthatsme@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Yea it’s basically criminals lying to distract dummies. It works well. The dude in North Carolina that puts out all the deep state shit is a convicted pedophile from NJ.

This Place Sucks on HBO is a good movie that exposes some of the bs spread by conspiretards.

source
realcaseyrollins@kbin.projectsegfau.lt ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
People love conspiracy theories though, both on the fringes of the political spectrum as well as the mainstream. If may be that what you're seeing is a rise in conspiracy theories that you're not familiar with or agree with, or that you're stepping outside of your comfort zone on the internet.

source
michael@lemmy.perthchat.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Yeah the internet has driven everybody crazy. Large addictive platforms that feed you more of what you interact with, putting you in a “bubble”, seem to be the root cause.

source
HubertManne@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I think its just the internet bringing together all these folks with time on their hands and are not right in the head. My go to description was the guy talking to himself at the 7/11 (make more sense for folks that experienced the world 1990's and before). Pretty much since the 9/11 one its just been one after another. And guess what!? Since about 2000 I hardly ever see the guys at the 7/11 (or gas station convenience store of choice) talking to themselves.

source
bron@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I'd argue conspiracies have always been trending for more than a few years now, it's just they've reached mainstream now. If you're in the US they have definitely been a major part of the political culture here and is one of the reasons there is so much distrust in any authority. Sad to see though.

source
blueskiesoc@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
It's not just aliens and conspiracy theories. The last couple of years there's been a jump in astrology too. Years and years of nothing and now it's mainstream again?

source
adonis@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
https://youtu.be/cXlxMP9PU8I

Another example, Fireship that has absolutely nothing to do with conspiracy theories, themed this video with alien-fuzz.

source
new_guy@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Probably. Conspiracy theory can be a great source of content to create when the platforms heavily prioritize screen time.

They’re easily digestible, intriguing, and one can be the seed to begin a spiral of the same content, created by the same author.

source
- BettyWhiteInHD@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  And you can make a career out of lying to your dipshit audience for over 20 years while selling sketchy supplements, gold coins and silver and make survivors and relatives of children and teachers murdered in a mass school shooting a fucking nightmare.
  
  Shout out to Knowledge Fight.
  
  source