Birds are actually drones that work for the bourgeoisie. We never actually landed on the moon. 9/11 was an inside job. Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson are a secret couple. Thanks, Beyonce.
See how utterly ridiculous this all sounds? You would think that people are smart enough to know that none of it is true – but, unfortunately, it seems that our generation is just as media illiterate as the grandparents on FaceBook that you’ll never take seriously.
Findings from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) indicate that around 60% of teens aged 13-17 agreed with at least four conspiracy theories, whereas only 49% of adults agreed with the nonsense. “There’s a prejudice towards believing that youth will save us from the ills created by the former generations, but when it comes to misinformation, there are no future generations to save us from the damage that we’ve caused,” said Imran Ahmed, CEO of CCDH.
We spend so much time online that we must be able to tell what sources are credible, right?
Wrong.
According to 50% of Gen Z-ers, teens use social media to access news instead of credible news sources, and only five percent read newspapers (read this one, cowards). The Guardian reports, “These trends are being exacerbated by the rise of AI-powered chatbots and search engines like ChatGPT, raising new concerns.” News and AI are becoming intersected as time goes on, perpetuating fake news that people can’t help but believe. And, now that people can buy verification online, people will blindly follow the words of a mediocre Twitter-poster just because they look important. Good on you, Elon.
Seriously, though. Are you really going to trust the word of a niche dudebro podcaster over that of an actual news source? The fact that someone is trying to appeal to you and has a media presence does not inherently make them an expert. Joe Rogan isn’t a health expert in the same way that Homelander isn’t a superhero. Unless someone has the proper experience or credentials, such as a PhD, I wouldn’t trust them or any of their advice.
It’s just so frustrating to see someone insist that a random person on social media is an expert in their field when these people have absolutely nothing to back them up. Honestly, they sound just as bad as the infamous FaceBook warriors. They’re probably the children of the Gen X-ers who defended themselves with, “The internet told me so,” back in the ‘90s. The call is coming from inside the house. If all you can use to defend a claim is a niche micro celebrity with absolutely no credit or experience to their name, then I’m sorry – maybe you need to reconsider your point.