Troubling Conspiracy Theories That Have Circulated on Social Media

I hopped off the social media train years ago. Even so, I appreciate that when used with care, social media can be good for keeping up with friends and lifting people’s spirits via adorable pet videos.

Unfortunately, platforms from Facebook to TikTok have become breeding grounds for wild conspiracy theories that spread faster than memes about baby Yoda. Some of these theories are relatively harmless; others can lead to real-world harm.

I dug around to find conspiracy theories that were sometimes born and always ignited on social media platforms. Warning: This is a frustrating read.

1. 5G Caused COVID-19

While the world was shutting down, 5G conspiracy theorists jumped on the opportunity to take to social media platforms about how 5G towers were the cause of the pandemic.

Their reasoning? Reports indicate that Wuhan, China, had installed 5G towers before the COVID-19 outbreak started. While the Wuhan version of 5G conspiracy theories originally started on a French blog, the idea soon spread to Facebook and English-speaking social media users.

2. Hurricane Milton Was Engineered

Yes, you read that right. A group of people on social media insists that the category 3 Hurricane Milton that landed in Florida in October 2024 wasn’t a naturally occurring event. They believe the U.S. government had a hand in it.

According to this conspiracy, the US government was able to control the weather and, thus, caused Hurricane Milton to create devastating damage. While humans have overcome miraculous feats, as far as the non-conspiracy theory social media world is aware, controlling the weather isn’t among them.

3. Airplanes Are Spraying Chemicals

You know those white lines planes leave in the sky? Those are contrails, a primarily water-based substance. But starting in the 1990s, some people dubbed contrails “chemtrails.” Fast forward to the 2020s, and there are now chemtrail influencers.

Facebook and Telegram are among the preferred platforms of chemtrail influencers, according to the BBC. They generate a range of false information about contrails, such as that they’re chemicals sent by the government to reduce the population or to spread COVID-19.

4. Beyoncé Is Italian

Last I checked, the American singer Beyoncé didn’t have Italian roots. Then again, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve been on Instagram.

All it appears to have taken was a single post on Instagram about Beyoncé having Italian roots to give the conspiracy theory fuel. Beyoncé is no stranger to people creating odd conspiracy theories around her, with some believing she’s in the Illuminati, an organization that many point to as a conspiracy theory in and of itself.

Troubling Trends

According to research from NewsGuard, approximately 20% of the videos that users encounter on TikTok contain some level of misinformation.

Things get even bleaker when one zeros in on medical information. A 2023 University of Arizona study discovered that misinformation is in around 40% of TikTok medical videos.

The Motivator

Money motivates, and the social media world is no different. The more time a person stays on a social media company’s platform, the more ad revenue they receive. Since creators often receive a piece of the revenue pie, they’re incentivized to create extreme content that will attract—and keep—attention.

Facebook and Instagram make the most money in the social media business, and they appear to keep a large chunk of their profits. According to research by Epidemic Sound, YouTube generates the most income for content creators, followed by TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

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