The Whirling Mosh Pit of Lies We Call Life

Introduction:

As quite a few of you probably know, there have been many rumours circulating around due to the churning. In fact, it seems that every single time there is a 'situation' of some kind, some false information is due to go around and cause damage. Take COVID-19 for an example, it was said that 5G is actually responsible for the virus. This caused mobs to burn down (I think...?) two broadband service stations. Also, I just read this morning on BBC that 5G service providers and technicians were being threatened. Of course, 5G has never had any connection with the virus, whereas it is actually an amazing, high-speed technology which we have no reason not to use.

Why is it that such situations and dangers cause people to spin these theories, and how do people come to believe them so easily? Today, we talk about the motives of the rumour-starters, how people are more gullible in crisis situations, and how, most importantly, we can defend ourselves against misinformation.

Why do People Start Rumours?

Individuals

First up, we will look at spreading of rumours from individuals. What actually motivates people to knowingly begin spreading inaccurate information? An entity will not do something unless something motivates them. For individuals, they actually may not even know their motivation, as this can be in the subconscious. In fact, much of our "meh, why not" actions actually comes from the subconscious. The way one's mind has been shaped has everything to do with their decision making, and let's look at a few possible factors.

1. Popularity (Being Noticed): This is something everyone wants, and for certain people, coming up with a rumour, which will certainly get attention from their communities, is irresistible. Who, though, specifically will do this? I believe that the main group here is those who hold some sort of authority in an area. Like, for example, someone who everybody thinks is 'smart'. And in order for everyone to lean towards him/her more, they may, very seriously, say some kind of 'helpful advice', which has some - perhaps outdated or simply twisted - evidence to back it up. I will also talk about how this can make the spreading of rumours quicker.

2. Trust: People want belief in them, this can be for many different reasons. So, in order to gain this, they can propose unproven theories, or maybe just spun lies to others. One example is when President Trump talked about how hydroxychloroquine helps with mitigating the effects of the virus long before it was proven. He wanted trust in him and his ability to control the virus situation.

Organisations, Governments, and Businesses:

1. Support: For governing bodies, one of the key aspects of maintaining their grasp upon people is to have their support. In order to do so, they will literally do anything. Let's look at both the USA and China. For China, the government 'controlled' information about the virus. One of the possible reasons is getting slapped across the face if it were false information. As for the US, they told citizens that all was under control so that, with the free speech and movement they have, certain individuals don't start 'undermining' their control.

2. Competition: For almost every big corporation, governing body or not, there is the threat of another collective which threatens you. For example, certain people have pointed to American soldiers bringing the virus to China, while others say it was created in a Chinese laboratory. In order to keep blame away from themselves, the Trump administration wants to instigate hate towards others, meanwhile, members of the CCP want to keep the blame from themselves as well, therefore inventing the rumour. Both sayings are unfounded and unsupported by the science community, yet it is still out there.

Another thing is that certain corporations might want to sabotage others, which I believe might be in the case of '5G'. In order to decrease their popularity, or even to cause physical harm, they may spread such rumours, but most of the time, not such outrageous ones.

In conclusion, people create rumours for many reasons, but all of them have one purpose: To use others to create gain for themselves. So, how do people become vulnerable to them, especially in such uncertain times?

Why are People More Gullible?

To start this off, I will pose a question: What does it feel like when something big is happening, and you don't know anything about it? For me, it gives a sense of intangible pressure, basically, it gives me discomfort. Now, you might not feel this way, but your subconscious will, this is, in fact, an instinct from prehistoric times, when one needed knowledge to survive. Therefore, one's subconscious, filled with the experience of evolution and the past, will urge you to find out.

So, now, since you have this innate force telling you to learn, you will do that to the best of your ability, and this is where you are tricked. Since your brain is in panic mode (because you know about something dangerous, i.e. COVID-19), you try the best you can to gain information. So, when you see a rumour that has some grain of truth in it, your brain will try to use what you already know to prove that this rumour is correct. Why? Because, as I mentioned, the sensation of 'not knowing' is uncomfortable, and grasping on to something gives you certainty, which is desired by the mind. In an analogy, it will be like how when a person is underwater and drowning, they try to grasp anything to 'hold on', even if it is a floating bit of seaweed.

So, in a case where something serious is going on, people are more likely to blindly grab at quote and quote, facts, and since certainty is desired, they will readily try to prove to themselves that these 'facts' are correct. In total, making completely false rumours more believable.

How do We Protect Ourselves?

Here are a few things that I can offer:

1. Regularly read articles from credible newspapers, like the BBC. Many of these sources will create articles and videos on fake advice.

2. Identify sources of the 'facts' you encounter, and also do basic fact-checking if you do decide to believe it (for example, you may want to look for the lies I have fed you).

3. Look for bias, if a statement like: "Chinese people eat bat soup, they caused this." appears, check if it seems to harm certain peoples/countries. And if it does, do be sceptical.

4. Look for benefactors, if a certain person benefits from a certain statement, check if that statement originated from them, and if it does, chances are: It’s not true. An example would be: "the virus was brought to China by American soldiers."

And well, there you have it: Why people do this, how people believe it, and how to avoid it.