Conspiracy theories and the people creating them have overwhelmed the US political process, and they’re becoming only more prevalent with each passing year. 2024 will be no different, if not worse: We’re already uncovering all kinds here on the WIRED Politics desk, from election conspiracy groups to claims that Boeing …
Read More »Online Conspiracies About the Baltimore Bridge Collapse Are Out of Control
Conspiracists and far-right extremists are blaming just about everything and everyone for Tuesday morning’s Baltimore bridge collapse. A non-exhaustive list of things that are getting blamed for the bridge collapse on Telegram and X include President Biden, Hamas, ISIS, P. Diddy, Nickelodeon, India, former president Barack Obama, Islam, aliens, Sri …
Read More »How Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theories Consumed the Internet
The past few weeks have been a fever dream for the online conspiracy world. Wild claims about Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, went from fringe corners of the internet to mainstream social media platforms, and people who don’t usually dabble in conspiracies found themselves leading the charge. Basically, the …
Read More »Kate Middleton Conspiracists Are Recreating the Streisand Effect
Group chats, including at least one of mine, can’t get enough. #KateGate—loosely, a collection of theories around the whereabouts and well-being of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales—presently seems to be occupying more brain cells than oxygen. Gossip has been flying ever since January, when Middleton took a step back …
Read More »New Far-Right Conspiracy Claims Boeing’s Accidents Are Intentional
Over the past week, airplanes made by Boeing have been involved in numerous incidents, including midair emergencies, leaking hydraulic fluid, a wheel falling off a plane as it took off, pilots losing control of the plane mid-journey, and a plane plummeting suddenly and injuring 50 people. As a result, right-wing …
Read More »The Kate Middleton Photo Controversy Is an Inexplicable Mess
On Sunday, Kensington Palace released a photo of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales. The image, also shared to the royal couple’s Instagram account, depicts Middleton seated, smiling, and surrounded by her three children. Purportedly taken by her husband Prince William in Windsor, the photo was widely distributed by wire …
Read More »No, 'Leave the World Behind' and 'Civil War' Aren’t Happening Before Your Eyes
Several people are typing, and they’re all saying Netflix’s Leave the World Behind is wildly prescient. The movie, directed by Sam Esmail, opens on a world where communication has been knocked out following a cyberattack. And earlier this week, when nearly all of Meta’s platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Threads—went down, people took …
Read More »Inside Election Conspiracy Groups on Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday was a blowout for former president Donald Trump, who won 14 out of 15 states. And yet, Trump’s most ardent supporters who believe that all votes and elections are now irredeemably fraudulent spent the day boosting wild conspiracies online, predicting what would happen in November, and guessing how …
Read More »Taylor Swift Will Define Super Bowl 2024 Just by Showing Up
Over the past two weeks, Taylor Swift has made headlines dozens of times. Only one, maybe two of those instances have been because of something she actually did. Her music getting removed from TikTok? That was a disagreement between Universal Music Group and the app itself. Her songs getting boosted …
Read More »Taylor Swift Conspiracy Theorists Get Psyops All Wrong
When the Kansas City Chiefs romp to a Super Bowl victory on February 11, tight end Travis Kelce will bring his superstar girlfriend onto the field, drop to one knee, and propose. Their engagement will unleash a media maelstrom and create the conditions for Taylor Swift’s hugely significant endorsement of …
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