Social Media Driving People to Conspiracy Theories

King Mob

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60905348

Facebook pushes climate sceptics towards increasingly extreme disinformation and conspiracy groups, a human-rights body's research suggests.

A report released Wednesday by Global Witness found Facebook's algorithm amplified doubts rather than nudging people towards reliable information.

On one hand I do find it funny that we keep hearing from conspiracy theorists how people who don't believe them are brainwashed. Yet as we've seen lately and in this article, more and more of them seem to be just following whatever conspiracy claims that are driven by the main stream media and the algorithms.

On the other hand it's looking like that people haven't really learned from covid misinformation and are still falling for the same grift.

I don't think Facebook is going to do anything effective here, so I expect to see a lot more climate denial stuff in the coming years.

KieferFan69

you shouldn’t be so concerned about what other people think or where they get information. Someone in my life believes allies were just as culpable as axis in ww2 , I disagree, but I loose no sleep about it. I like a world where everyone has there own thoughts no matter how wild and unorthodox.

lots of people are getting their news from Irish times (rubbish) or rte and tv3 6:00 0’clock (also rubbish). Plus you have experts given time on tv to say vaccines will 100% stop illness.

So at the end of the day, my advice to you is to let it go and not be so tyrannical, believe what you will believe what they believe , whether that is so called experts on Irish tv or tucker

King Mob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118855756#Comment_118855756

Your advice is that people like yourself and the grifters you follow should be free to spread false information?

Weird stance, but cool.

So honest question: You've been spreading a lot of vaccine misinformation. Where do you get this information. You've claimed not to be on Facebook.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118855756#Comment_118855756

Cool, can you point out some experts saying the vaccine will 100% stop illness? Disinformation such as your own is dangerous and it should absolutely be called out. Just because you're not willing to contest pretty awful views, doesn't mean that others should do the same. Also I'd love to know where you draw the line, anti semitic conspiracy theories all good with you? How about white supremacist ones? Both are tangibly dangerous and have killed many.

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118855756#Comment_118855756

RTE and the Irish Times are news outlets, your view that they are otherwise is a very questionable personal opinion. Your generalisations that experts systematically claimed vaccines would 100% stop an illness is straight up false. Ultimately no one really cares about your opinions, the issue is when they are weaponised to spread dangerous or harmful lies.

KieferFan69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856165#Comment_118856165

No I’m afraid you are wrong on every count. Experts were trotted out on Irish news and indeed in the states claiming vaccines would prevent illness. These news outlets you refer to are very poor and have been drip feeding the public in this country only meagre elements of truth for years . You speak of weaponising truths but it was the papers you read that tried to incite malcontent against the unvaccinated and publish nonsense articles by fintan oTools that would be rejected from transition year journal project and it was your corporate mainstream papers that made case for war in Iraq and Afghanistan (observer, times) so take a look at yourself before casting aspersions

whippet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856346#Comment_118856346

Again ... incorrect

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856346#Comment_118856346

Repeating lies and falsehoods doesn't make them any more true.

This is the conspiracy theory forum, it's chock-full of that.

King Mob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856346#Comment_118856346

As others have pointed out, you're lying.

That's fine, you've been fooled into believing that stuff. That's not the topic.

If you believe all news is fake, where do you get your information?

Is there a reason you don't want to say?

KieferFan69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856395#Comment_118856395

It’s purely a fact that experts were regularly trotted out in your preferred corporate medias claiming the vaccines made you safe from Covid . You can’t expect others to do your research for you. There are plenty of compilations on YouTube with footage of the so called experts. Besides if the vaccines worked we wouldn’t even be having this convo

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856413#Comment_118856413

Your opinions aren't facts.

When some "enlightened" individual is trying to peddle a view that involves you having reject the facts and distrust the experts and doubt journalism, you can be pretty damn sure it's questionable to say the least. We get this speech from every type of conspiracy theorist imaginable on this forum.

KieferFan69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856587#Comment_118856587

I’m not sure who is this “we” you refer to but it’s very weird .The forum is for free and open discussion of the

facts I’m here to debate same as you you have no authority more than me

King Mob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856615#Comment_118856615

If you're here to debate why are you dodging my question?

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856615#Comment_118856615

Yeah, so far don't see any reasonable or logical debate from you, just someone soapboxing all the usual conspiracy tropes and whataboutery, on social media (Boards is a form of social media). So kind of proving the point.

whippet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856413#Comment_118856413

So you do accept these people were experts ? So you choose to believe what non-experts say rather than experts say … would you go to your dentist to check what a knocking sound is in your car’s engine?

And if you even listened a little to what the experts are saying you’d understand that the Vaccine was developed for the original variant of Covid and at best offered 70-90% efficacy (this was discussed adnausum on every media channel). It was successful in slowing down spread of the main variant and decreased the effects of the virus .. however again if you listen to these experts they will explain how the virus has mutated and how the vaccine will need to change (which will happen - just like the season flu vaccine - as mRNA tech will speed up this process) …….

However the extent of your knowledge of this whole thing is - people still sick, people still get Covid, must be failure …

greenspurs

I think tweedle dum and tweedle dee live in the same basement , logged into the CT forum 24hrs a day.....

Thats my theory ...

"Prove it" ..... 🤣

gladvimpaker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856413#Comment_118856413

I tried telling them that, but there's no reasoning with them. They'll call you name's, they'll twist everything you say. They'll be uncivil towards you. They won't discuss this much in other forums which is why they act the bollocks here. I just read their responses to you and it's clear now you're dealing with people who could have skin in the game....

Watch the response to this, it's the same old ****.

Cheerful S

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119059278#Comment_119059278

Do not get involved in the debate over vaccines since I believe they may work for many individuals. As for vaccines, the claim is not that they will prevent you from getting sick, rather they will help you avoid becoming sicker. In my case, the COVID vaccine did not cause any harm to me.

Correct debunkers are all about character assassination, and they tend to lower others to their level. . I find conspiracy theorists to be more friendly than others, regardless of how crazy their ideas may be to debunkers. There is something unhinged about debunkers when they do not get what they want. There are times when I descend to their level.

Although they actively support white nationalist killers in Ukraine, they consider it an insult to label me a Holocaust denier. Despite the fact that they are flag waving modern-day Nazis in Ukraine. In my entire life, I have never harmed a Jew, and by the way, I am white and my daughter, who is also white, has two young black brothers who she sees all the time, and I sometimes meet them as well, they are nice guys. This is from an earlier relationship. Black people, Jews, or anybody else is not hated by me. It is common for debunkers to mistakenly assume that all those who question history have racist agendas. 

King Mob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119059372#Comment_119059372

You are a holocaust denier. You spread nazi propaganda man.

If you don't like people pointing out that you subscribe to a stupid racist theory, maybe stop believing in it.

King Mob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119059278#Comment_119059278

Cool. What skin do we have in the game?

gladvimpaker

They're not friendly, that's an understatement... they're just a bit cross and you wouldn't sit down and have a pint with them that's for sure.

You don't have to explain yourself to anyone, feck em let them call you out.

I'm not interested in the war in Ukraine they can fight it out themselves, we've been through enough **** here from imperialism, British rule etc and our own shower selling us out....oh oh I feel another conspiracy coming on..

These debunkers will not behave like this in the other covid forums because they couldn't stand the heat. So they come in here flexing their muscles. Kingmob takes it to another level, talking to himself most of the time like a rambling liberal, triggered by anything. He cools the jets for a bit then whooosh he's in full flight from reality. I think he's a wind up merchant but harmless, an aul softie at the back of it all.

At least yourself and Kingmob are on the same page as each other on the vaccines etc

King Mob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119059857#Comment_119059857

Lol. I thought we were all nazi sympathisers?

Guess I'm a "rambling liberal now."

Funny to see you being cool with supporting a holocaust denier though. Good stuff.

gladvimpaker

More rambling and false assumptions, funny how you draw a circle and get a square. Then you try to turn it into a Celtic knot .

King Mob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119059927#Comment_119059927

3 sentences is "rambling"?

And what's the assumption. Cheerful is an avowed holocaust denier. You're giving him a pat on the head and telling him it's alright and to ignore us meanies.

If you don't agree with his holocaust denial, please just say so.

gladvimpaker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119059968#Comment_119059968

I don't deny the Holocaust, I believe it happened. It was absolutely horrific and still today we have antisemitism.

I don't agree with his holocaust denial.

But I'm not going to debate him because I don't want to get dragged into that debacle. I'm not going to be mean to him either. That's your job

King Mob

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119060305#Comment_119060305

Ok great, you think his holocaust denial is wrong and disgusting. Cool.

Why then are you giving him head pats and coddling him? Why did you agree with his rambling about not being a racist?

Why do you think his holocaust denial should be allowed in here with non-racist conspiracy theories?

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119059857#Comment_119059857

More of this victim card stuff.

It's a public discussion forum, if people are going to post disinformation about history, science, current affairs, etc then they shouldn't act surprised if other people point it out

Again and again we see that conspiracy believers don't like their views being challenged here, they hate the free speech aspect of it, they repeatedly call for an echo chamber where their can protect their beliefs from any form of scrutiny. If their beliefs were completely harmless, maybe there could be concessions, but these are people revising history, denying the Holocaust, accusing victims of attacks of being "actors", making false claims about horrendous events, spreading medical disinformation, you name it.

When challenged, they play the victim card, throw tantrums, deflect, accuse the mods of being in a conspiracy against them, act out their persecution complexes, all that, every time. Whatever forum they are on.

We had dozens of posters claiming all sorts of Covid conspiracies, not a single one was true, did any of those posters apologise? or admit to being wrong? Nope. They were toxic as hell whilst making the claims (many were carded by the mods), and then just disappeared after or re-regged (cough)

I've posted conspiracies here before, I just lay out the conspiracy, give as many details as I can, answer whatever questions I can, and people can make up their minds. It's not complicated. I didn't have to insult, engage in infantile foot-stamping and meltdowns when someone challenged me, accuse everyone of being "trolls" - yet that's the behaviour we see day in day out on this forum. No wonder the mods have largely abandoned it.

gladvimpaker

What conspiracies do you believe in then, I was under the impression you're not a conspiracy theorist.

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119060824#Comment_119060824

Politicians conspiring to defraud tax payers and give government contracts to their family / mates.

Company directors conspiring to skim money from employees pension funds.

Police conspiring to get their mates off for some crime or other.

Companies conspiring with each other to fix prices.

Or any other relatively dull and boring conspiracy. Ones involving Bill Gates trying to kill half the population of the planet with embedding tracking chips in our brains by faking a global pandemic, not so much.

Pinch Flat

FB_IMG_1651955560389.jpg

This the kind of sh!te peddled on social media. It seems to be latched on to by some. My own personal experience is its generally thr poorly educated or those who can't work out fact from fiction too easily. What's even more worrying is there's even a trend during the pandemic to undermine the very idea of education. Sure why do you need it when a few Facebook memes will suffice as 'research'