The Way to Combat Conspiracy? Irony
“Birds Aren’t Real” May Be Gen Z’s Operation Mindfuck 2.💀
The post-truth era is fueled by nonstop information flows, historic access to knowledge, and unprecedented precarity of trust. On top of that, misinformation and conspiracy theories are amplified by our social media platforms. Even our news and our feeds have become so hyperpartisan they lead to unease and distrust.
Collectively we’re all feeling it. The anxiety, the paranoia, the fear that creeps in with the unknown — and there’s a lot of unknowns. It’s with these conditions that many people lean into conspiracy theories — made up beliefs that supply people with answers, even if they aren’t real.
As Vice Senior Staff Writer Anna Merlan explains, we’re heading directly into a “conspiracy singularity: the place where many conspiracy communities are suddenly meeting and merging, a melting pot of unimaginable density.” Merlan lists off all the usual suspects: Qanon, anti-vax groups, “patriots,” pizzagaters, and believers in the “new world order.” It’s overwhelming.
But imagine for a second what that feels like to a young person, born connected to the internet who is watching the future become certainly uncertain. Gen Z, those born after 1996, are the most educated and diverse generation in US history. They’re also…
