The "Birds Aren't Real" Conspiracy Theory

Bird watching goes both ways. 🐦👁️

Join me as I dive into the conspiracy theory that’s captured a generation, and its underlying message in the wild west era of internet misinformation.

"We needed a way to keep an eye on the American citizens without them knowing. It was imperative, for their own safety of course. We hired only the best. It took years. We designed, built, tested, failed. We persisted. Eventually, over decades, we had it. A fleet of covert technological surveillance devices unlike anything the world had ever seen. We called them, 'Birds'." - Richard Nixon, 1978 (from birdsarentreal.com)



🕦TIMESTAMPS:🕝
0:00 – Bird Truthers, Rise Up
4:35 – The rise (and lore) of “Birds Aren’t Real”
10:13 – Comedy as a modern coping mechanism
14:28 – Modern-day chaos and Gen Z absurdity
18:00 – Could “Birds Aren’t Real” help expose other conspiracy theories?
19:23 – The failures of 1975’s “Operation Mindf*ck”
21:00 – Is “Birds Aren’t Real” headed down the same conspiratorial path?
22:54 – The power of satire

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Australian copyright law on “Fair Dealing”:
https://www.copyright.org.au/acc_prod...

US copyright law on "Fair Use":
https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/mo...



📄Main Sources Used: 📄

Birds Aren’t Real Official Website -
https://birdsarentreal.com/

BIRDS AREN’T REAL YouTube channel –
   / @birdsarentreal  

The Truth Behind ‘Birds Aren’t Real' | My Life Online –
   • The Truth Behind ‘Birds Aren’t Real' | My ...  

Birds Aren't Real: The conspiracy theory that satirizes conspiracy theories –
   • Birds Aren't Real: The conspiracy theory t...  

Birds Aren't Real | Sunday on 60 Minutes –
   • Birds Aren't Real | Sunday on 60 Minutes  

The origins of Birds Aren't Real –
   • The origins of Birds Aren't Real  

Birds Aren’t Real, or Are They? Inside a Gen Z Conspiracy Theory.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/te...

Conspiracy theory group claims US govt has replaced all birds with surveillance drones, asks Twitter to change its logo –
https://www.opindia.com/2021/11/birds...

Coping with war and crisis through memes –
https://www.vox.com/2020/1/17/2106511...

Conspiracy Theory Is a Hoax Gone Right? –
https://nymag.com/news/features/consp...

The accidental invention of the Illuminati conspiracy –
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20...

Operation Mindfuck 2.0 –
  / operation-mindfuck-2-0  

Fake news in the U.S. - statistics & facts –
https://www.statista.com/topics/3251/...

Many Americans Believe Fake News Is Sowing Confusion –
https://www.pewresearch.org/journalis...

#birdsarentreal #conspiracy #fakenews #conspiracytheory