Conspiracy theorists were given a boost by the bridge collapse
The Collapse of the X-Ray Door Plug: A Case Study on Twitter, Newsmax, TechCentric, and Right-Wing Media
Boeing’s door plug failure, the Super Bowl and the Gaza War are just a few examples of how this pattern has played out. Rothschild says that it’s easy for conspiracy theorists to fit any calamity into their world views.
Law enforcement officials said that early indications show there was absolutely no intent to cause the collapse.
The accounts on social media were quick to suggest otherwise. Andrew Tate, who has over 9 million followers on X, had claimed without evidence that the ship had been cyber-attacked, in a post that was viewed over 13 million times. There is a “CommunityNote” from the platform’s user-generated fact-checking feature, stating that his assertion was “speculation” and that the incident is still being investigated.
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who has been ordered to pay $1.5 billion to the families of victims of the Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting, which Jones has falsely claimed was a “false flag,” amplified Tate’s baseless suggestion to his own 2.2 million X followers, saying “A cyber-attack is probable. WW3 has already started.”
A researcher who has written books about conspiracy theories said it has become standard for any unexpected event to be run through a filter of conspiracy theories based on the person spreading the theory.
The posts of Jones and Tate’s X accounts are eligible to be advertised on the platform because of their subscription checks. The system was introduced by Musk as a way to get attention and money, despite its errors, after he purchased the platform.
Posts claiming, without evidence, that the collision was the result of an intentional attack also spread on Donald Trump’s Truth Social, Rumble, and other right-wing online forums, according to data from Pyrra Technologies, which tracks smaller platforms.
The disaster was linked to their own pet hot-button issues from the war in Gaza to a vaccine related medical emergency, as well as corporate diversity policies, according to other online accounts.
On conservative media, commentators used the disaster to push criticisms of the Biden administration. Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo suggested the collapse was somehow connected to problems at the border, while on Newsmax, American Conservative Union chair Matt Schlapp suggested the crash might have been caused by “drug-addled” employees in the wake of “all the lockdowns and COVID issues.”
Some people think the accident is staged to look like a terror attack while others think that the accident is due to diversity hiring. If you think that all of life’s problems are caused by open borders, it’s an open borders issue. The captain must have received the vaccine because he thinks it’s a death shot.
The most important aspect of the bridge accident is not how many people lost their lives but who is responsible for that and how they can cash in on it.
The cargo ship is believed to have crashed into the bridge, killing at least six people. Grace Ocean Private is a company from Singapore and Maersk is a company from the Danes. The U.S. Coast Guard ended its active search and rescue last night and transitioned to a recovery mission. Here’s what we know — and don’t — about the bridge collapse.
Up First – Bringing Up the Stumpys in Washington D.C. ’tiling down the sea walls around Washington’s Tides
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