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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums'PizzaGate' Conspiracy Theory Thrives Anew in the TikTok Era
WASHINGTON Four minutes into a video that was posted on Instagram last month, Justin Bieber leaned in to the camera and adjusted the front of his black knit beanie. For some of his 130 million followers, it was a signal.
In the video, someone had posted a comment asking Bieber to touch his hat if he had been a victim of a child-trafficking ring known as PizzaGate. Thousands of comments were flooding in, and there was no evidence that Bieber had seen that message. But the pop stars innocuous gesture set off a flurry of online activity, which highlighted the resurgence of one of social medias early conspiracy theories.
Viewers quickly uploaded hundreds of videos online analyzing Biebers action. The videos were translated into Spanish, Portuguese and other languages, amassing millions of views. Fans then left thousands of comments on Biebers social media posts asking him if he was safe. Within days, searches for Justin and PizzaGate soared on Google, and the hashtag #savebieber started trending.
Four years ago, before the 2016 presidential election, the baseless notion that Hillary Clinton and Democratic elites were running a child sex-trafficking ring out of a Washington pizzeria spread across the internet, illustrating how a crackpot idea with no truth to it could blossom on social media and how dangerous it could be. In December 2016, a vigilante gunman showed up at the restaurant with an assault rifle and opened fire into a closet.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/pizzagate-conspiracy-theory-thrives-anew-183447857.html
Doubling down on stupid.
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)It's really just pathetic.
I wonder how many times Beiber had already touched his hat in the video stream prior to that message?
FM123
(10,053 posts)There was a guy on msnbc the other night talking about how the Q Anon crazies try to read every little thing into great meaning like they are reading scripture from the bible. Ridiculous, yet dangerous. Just like the guy who showed up at the pizza place armed with an assault rifle, who knows what nut will show up when trump tweets things like Joe is shot like he did this morning.
lpbk2713
(42,759 posts)And the pizza joint didn't even have a basement.
These clowns are stupid beyond all hope.
Nevilledog
(51,122 posts)msongs
(67,420 posts)mnmoderatedem
(3,728 posts)CatLady78
(1,041 posts)I am almost missing the bad old days of the 9/11 conspiracy theories - that controlled demolition crap seems less kooky by comparison.
We seem to keep getting crazier over time...
How a species like this will handle future challenges like ecological crises, depletion of vital resources..and well..the whole damn slew of problems staring us in the face..beats me.