11/11/2021 Update: Since the time of publishing this post, one more person has died of their injuries. The total number of deaths from the Astroworld Music Festival Mass Casualty Event is now 9.
Despite their reputation as digital sophisticates, experts warn that “digital natives” are vulnerable to viral misinformation.
TIKTOK – WAS ASTROWORLD TRAGEDY A SATANIC CEREMONY?
A video of the Astroworld crowd crush that resulted in eight fatalities overwhelmed TikTok over the weekend, with footage of the tragedy flooding social media. However, conspiracy theories have also emerged alongside graphic footage accusing Travis Scott, who established and performed at the event, of organizing a large Satanic ceremony.
“This ain’t a festival, it’s a sacrifice,” states one remark. “The music industry is demonic and collects souls,” announces another post with 34,000 likes.
Several far-fetched “signs” have been spotted at the concert, including flames and burning doves, which has drawn internet users’ attention. Some TikTokers defined the stage as “an inverted cross leading to hell”.
Numerology was raised by several people, who claimed that Travis Scott and his collaborator Drake were “born 66 months and 6 days apart.”
Despite its absurdity, the idea has acquired momentum – with expressions such as “astroworld demonic,” “astroworld illuminati,” and “astroworld upside down cross” trending with other AstroWorld subject matter on the social network.
WILL TIKTOK EXPOSURE TO ASTROWORLD POSTS LEAD TO PTSD?
The false information has been debunked, but the damage may have already been done. According to psychologists, youngsters who view conspiracy videos on social media are more susceptible to fringe beliefs than they were a decade ago.
“We have this stereotype of conspiracy theorists being older people on social media, but young people can in some ways be more susceptible,” said Jennifer Stromer-Galley, a professor examining social media networks at Syracuse University.
“We know that human brains really like sensational content, and teenage brains even more so because they are still developing,” she mentioned.
ASTROWORLD CONSPIRACY THEORY ORIGINS
Joseph Russo, who instructs a class on the anthropology of conspiracy theories at Wesleyan University, said such far-out accusations are tied to QAnon. QAnon, a conspiracy theory that alleges a hidden cabal of pedophiles controls the government and traffics children.
“It is mutating and taking different forms, but it goes back to the idea there is a shadowy group of people in control behind it all,” Russo said. “It is super seductive, and always comes back – but it is surprising young people are following this script more and more.”
ASTROWORLD EFFECTS ON GENERATION Z
The potential for misinformation is especially high among the generation known as Generation Z, which came of age after 1996. It has significantly higher levels of distrust in traditional institutions such as the news media and the government than prior generations, and it takes social media to get its news coverage at dramatically increased rates than previous generations.
According to Ioana Literat, an associate professor of communication at Teachers College, Columbia University, the algorithms employed to boost user engagement on these platforms represent a new hazard.
“This is an indication of just how fertile of a ground TikTok is for creating and sharing misinformation and conspiracy theories,” she continued, adding that while conspiracy theories were formerly widespread after tragic occurrences, they are now more readily shared.
“With the reign of social media platforms like TikTok, there’s the potential for greater and further spread, and a certain rise in sophistication in terms of the deployment of media resources to craft these arguments,” she said.
ASTROWORLD LAWSUIT – TikTok SOURCE OF MISINFORMATION
TikTok has long been a source of misinformation for its young users. In 2020, a false theory that the online furniture retailer Wayfair was involved in a child sex trafficking network was shared hundreds of thousands of times on the platform.
A representative for TikTok said that the conspiracy theory content had violated its community standards, and that it was taking action against it.
Many of the ideas may appear benign, but they might cause difficulties offline, according to TikTok disinformation researcher Abbie Richards.
“We’ve seen that time and time again this can absolutely translate to real-world harm,” she said.
In 2016, a man radicalized by QAnon conspiracy theories who had obtained a gun stormed a restaurant in Washington, DC. The 2021 Capitol uprising was largely inspired by online conspiracies and resulted in the deaths of five people.
Russo added that while the popularity of conspiracy beliefs has only worsened among Generation Z and its elders, following calamities like the Houston concert, it has done so in fits and starts.
“In a moment in which young people feel they’re living in a really chaotic world where not much makes sense, certain conspiracy theories can feel like a security blanket, because they tell us there is actually an order underneath it all,” he said.
DO YOU NEED HELP DEALING WITH ASTROWORLD?
Most people go out on a Friday night planning for fun, not a calamity. When disaster strikes, you need the best help you can get. The Pinkerton Law Firm has the necessary music festival lawsuit experience to handle your Astroworld Concert Lawsuit.
If you or a loved one suffered physical injury, PTSD, or death, do not delay. Contact the knowledgeable law firm prepared to fight for your most significant restitution.
