Our sense of time, self, and just about everything else has been challenged for nearly eight (eight?!) months now. People are anxious, tired, and restless. I mean, who could blame them? Our lives came to a collective halt when we should have been reveling in the first blooms of spring. For many, “new beginnings” had taken on a far more sinister meaning. Others seem to be basking in the general anarchy of it all. Stimulus checks and pajama-pant Zoom meetings are aplenty. Either way, in an age where everything- everything- hangs in the balance, and Anthony Fauci is our only voice of reason… People want answers.
There has been a pop-cultural revolution surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. If you are from the New York metropolitan area, tune in to 97.1 FM. If Funkmaster Flex lays off the bomb-dropping sound effect long enough for a song to play, you’ll find that covid and coronavirus have made their way into countless popular hip-hop songs. Saturday Night Live hasn’t been funny since before I was alive, apparently, but they are pumping out some pretty watchable quaran-themed sketches. Homemade face mask tutorials litter YouTube. Eye makeup tattoos are trending (guess why!). Everybody wants to eat the rich. If you’re not already on board with this, look up how Kim Kardashian spent her fortieth birthday celebration. Go on; I’ll wait.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that things are changing dramatically within the popular culture sphere, and in life.
I could go on and on about the ways in which things are just different. Instead, I’ll tell you something that you may already know: Humans are not creatures that adapt well to rapid change. We like it when things make sense, and things haven’t made very much sense for a while. If this isn’t The Apocalypse, it certainly seems to be an apocalypse for life as we knew it. Social media has served as a breeding ground for conspiracy theories and misinformation galore. As far as the Internet is concerned, the things that cannot be easily explained, must be explained away.
I’ve examined a couple of instances in which sensational claims about the origins of coronavirus have been made. According to one claim, 5G towers are emitting and/or facilitating the coronavirus. In another, co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, releases the virus to the general public, in an act of bioterrorism, as a means to distribute the vaccine which he had created prior. If these allegations weren’t destructive enough, certain celebrities and prominent figures in pop culture have fueled the fire, by vocalizing support for these rather bizarre theories. Woody Harrelson shared an Instagram video of 5G towers in China being torn down, and in the caption he admits to not vetting the facts, yet he finds the clip “interesting.” Ironically, Harrelson plays a key role in the movie franchise Zombieland. I suppose he truly does seem to have a vested interest in the end of times. In the same regard, once-relevant singer M.I.A. audaciously tweeted about 5G making it easier for Covid-19 to enter the body, as it is otherwise occupied fending off radiation.
If celebrities aren’t making outrageous claims about the coronavirus, they are leaning into it in the name of publicity. In the spirit of the apocalypse, Khloe Kardashian acts like it is the end times in this trailer for Keeping Up With the Kardashians that E! put out in an effort to boost ratings. While I do not doubt that the coronavirus was an unpleasant experience for her, I think she fails to realize that we are not, in fact, “all in this together.” Not everyone has access to wonderful doctor(s!) and obscene amounts of cash. I digress.
If the world were actually ending, one could only hope that the public figures within the American popular culture sphere would help to disseminate not only factual, but helpful information. The media is such a powerful tool when it is used for good, and in the event of the actual apocalypse, I’d like to believe that it would be utilized as such.
Questions:
- Do you think that celebrities and public figures have a responsibility to fact check all of their information? Or is that the job of the audience?
- Do you think that this kind of misinformation surrounding the pandemic is confined to American popular culture? Do you think that our country’s response is any indication of this?
- Do you believe that conspiracy theories are always ill intentioned?
- If this were the apocalypse, would the truth still be so important?
Mediated Pop 
I think the responsibility of fact checking lies on both celebrities/public figures/distributors of information as well as media consumers. While it is easy to say one should not share information unless they know it to be true, people are not perfect and that includes celebrities and public figures, so it is also on the audience to have rational logical thoughts and be skeptical in the media they consume and what theories they take as facts. Which leads into the third question, that not all conspiracies were bred and spread out of malicious ill intent.
The problem is that many conspiracies, regardless of harm or intent, develop and expand the anti-intellectual movement within society. This movement is defined by the inherent questioning of facts and proven science. As you noted with Woody Harrelson’s post, his take on the 5G tower conspiracy is not that it is real, but rather “interesting.” Is this an example of his skepticism as a savvy media consumer questioning the facts or is it an example of the question everything mentality of anti intellectualism growing in society? Sadly I tend to think it leans more in the question everything and nothing is a “fact” anymore side of things that is common in the movement of anti-intellectualism. Which as we all know is on display with COVID. People who “don’t believe it to be real” are questioning science and medicine openly and challenging the greater health of society by actively refusing to do their part with taking basic precautions to help the greater health of society, simply because they don’t believe science or government officials because no facts are truly facts until they themselves can verify and prove them to themselves, and even then it still may not be a “fact” but a coincidence and an outlier.
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I love conspiracy theories, but I think personally, I can distinguish the truth from a myth. However, people believe conspiracy theories with all their hearts, convincing themselves that it is in fact the reality. Like you mentioned in your pop-talk, conspiracy theories have a negative impact when public figures are involved. I don’t necessarily think celebrities or public figures have to fact check their information, but some will definitely believe them wholeheartedly and not check the information for themselves. For politicians especially, this works to their advantage.
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I think the responsibility of fact checking falls on everyone. Anyone who posts on social media, especially those with large followings, should absolutely be careful to do their research and not post misinformation, but their audience also has a responsibility to do their research and not automatically believe what people post. I don’t think all conspiracy theories are ill-intentioned. Sometimes they are just fun theories about people or events and are not meant to be thought of as anything other than theories. However, some people take these theories seriously and it can cause real harm. Spreading conspiracy theories about a pandemic that’s currently happening and killing people is incredibly dangerous. The Plandemic videos for instance were seen by so many people on Facebook, and they were full of misinformation. Although a lot of these conspiracy theories have spread in the US, it is not just an American phenomenon either; for example, the 5G theory was so ridiculous yet people actually set fire to 5G towers in the UK because they believed it was causing coronavirus. Now is a very bad time to ignore facts and science and instead believe conspiracy theories with no evidence to back them up. People need to educate themselves on how to critique the media they consume and do the best they can to get the facts, not just believe everything they see.
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I think that when it comes to conspiracy theories and celebrities it’s always up to the audience to distinguish fact from fiction. Celebrities like the rest of us, can often be misinformed depending on where they get their information from. I dont think that the idea of misinformation through popular culture is confined just to the United States as numerous countries have since enacted privacy laws in regard to the spreading misinformation being perpetuated in their countries. While conspiracy theories can offer an escape from the news, it’s best for the audience/viewers to approach them cautiously and do their own research.
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I think conspiracy theories are often created with ill intentions, the main ones being to spread doubt and misinformation. There are some theories that are harmful (and very believable). QAnon is an example of how people find power in spreading misinformation, and though it is a far-right conspiracy group, it has turned into the mainstream belief system of some conservatives. It’s at this point where it becomes so important for people to fact check the information they are consuming, instead of taking it for face value, no matter how reliable the source or information itself might look.
However, conspiracy theories often turn into memes. So, while the intention might be bad, sometimes what actually ends up happening is a big joke. For example, the whole idea that all birds died in the 1980s and were replaced with spies that watch us (aka the birds work for the bourgeoisie) is a giant meme. The thought that this conspiracy theory was actually created with ill intentions is hard to believe.
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1) I do believe they do, with that massive audience and outreach. Celebrities are under constant watch and listen to each every day. Anything they say or do, will be reported on and spread around like crazy. The current Tik Tok celebrity said some Dunkin’ Donuts drink was her favorite and kids are asking for it.
If a conspiracy theory is spread around by one celebrity, imagine the wide reach and audience parroting it would be.
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