When we talk about event-related false reports, we mean false reports about current events. This is also explained quite simply. So whenever something really happens, false reports and disinformation often appear in the wake of real information on social media. We have been observing this for years.
This phenomenon became really clear for the first time in 2015 and 2016, when many refugees came to Central Europe. At the same time, a so-called “alternative news network” has been formed that deliberately relies on opinions and disinformation and causes irritation.
In subsequent years we were able to observe this approach sporadically when any individual events took place. For example, these were often assassinations or terrorist attacks. Then there was always some disinformation in the wake of this real report, which then caused further irritation.
This disinformation was and is often about contradicting and thereby discrediting traditional media, but also governments and institutions. Depending on the occasion, this works sometimes more and sometimes less well. This also happens through selective reporting. This means that someone analyzes a topic in a very one-sided way and leaves out important information from the associated framework of meaning. This is a classic that we continue to illustrate to this day with the help of many of our publications.
Occasion-related false reports
Of course, we also had this phenomenon during the corona pandemic. But within the pandemic, because it has been going on for so long, there are different topics at certain points. We are talking about so-called peaks here.
To be more precise, there is not always just one predominant topic (even if the corona pandemic is the umbrella topic), but basically subcategories emerge. The exciting thing is that the individual false reports can also contradict each other beyond the ___STEADY_PAYWALL___ subcategories. I would like to clarify this later. But basically let’s talk about the subcategories first.
We discovered several of these subcategories during the Corona pandemic. One of these categories was the topic of masks; another example is corona tests. And we see the topic of vaccination as probably the largest subcategory. Within all of these topics there is normal classic reporting, there are social media discussions and at the end there is also clear disinformation.
It is precisely the deliberately spread and contradictory reporting and disinformation that often causes irritation. Even clear false reports, which almost everyone identifies as such, play a role here. The point of these clear false reports is not to convince anyone. Rather, they work by creating uncertainty. Many consumers of false reports (which they identify as such) are often afraid that there could be a grain of truth in the false report. “The truth lies in the middle” is the brutally wrong assumption here. And because of this conviction, the false report wins in the end, no matter how transparent it is. So let's look back at the subcategories just mentioned. Let's start with the topic of masks.
Occasion-related false reports about masks
Especially in October 2020, we had a real fake hype around the topic of masks. Then there were all sorts of event-related false reports, particularly targeting children and alleged CO2 poisoning . It has sometimes been claimed that children die because they wear a mask. There were then false representations that even had to be corrected and corrected by the police
Then there were statements that we would get a rash if we wore masks. A lack of oxygen would affect our brain . The peak, i.e. the peak accumulation of these false reports, was primarily in October 2020. After that, the intensity of the mask fakes decreased.
But that doesn't mean they were completely gone. In the last few months we have had some absurd and grotesque false reports that were still believed. Be it maggots that are allegedly processed in the masks or evidence of lung cancer or a hidden vaccination in the masks. It was also often claimed that surveillance chips were hidden in the masks. So no claim is absurd enough to cause irritation.
At this point we notice an important pattern. Certain things are deliberately mixed with false reports and disinformation in order to of course cause radicalization on the one hand, but on the other hand to create irritation among a large number of people. An irritation that ultimately means that they no longer know who they should and can believe.
Occasion-related false reports about corona tests
The disinformation method worked the same way with regard to corona tests. When tests became more and more important last winter (December 2020), there was a wave of event-related false reports and disinformation on the subject of corona tests. This wave and its peak have extended into spring 2021.
These hoaxes circulating at the time had an important goal! They should downplay the credibility of the test results or show that the tests have no value at all. Here, too, the aim was, on the one hand, to create radicalization in the resistance, but on the other hand, to cause irritation within the non-radicalized crowd of people.
There are enough examples in which even politicians have stood up and wanted to publicly prove the supposed ineffectiveness of tests. I would like to remind you of the almost absurd and satirical-seeming case of FPÖ National Council member Michael Schnedlitz. He stood in the National Council and, within his speaking time and in front of the camera, carried out a corona test, which he dipped in cola. Of course, this led to a completely nonsensical result on the test strip. This absurd attempt can still be read officially in the minutes of Parliament today ( here ).
There really isn't much need for an explanation of the nonsense that Schnedlitz spread back then. If you want to break it down like that, he simply ruined the test with the cola liquid. A test, whatever it may be, must of course be used as it is written in the operating instructions . And he disregarded that and thus produced an incorrect result.
But that wasn't the point. Many false reports were simply intended to create irritation. The aim of many false reports from that time was to keep people away from the test. This in turn sometimes comes with brutally frightening statements (test sticks destroy the “blood-brain barrier”) or completely nonsensical interpretations ( Morgellons !). And we'll just remember that at this point. And now let's look at the topic of vaccination.
Occasion-related false reports about vaccinations
The peak phase of event-related false reports about vaccinations is not that old yet. This is because vaccinations have only been available nationwide since the beginning of this year. And accordingly, disinformation and false reports have emerged. Of course, these have ensured that serious reporting on the topic is repeatedly watered down.
And we recognize that now when we talk about the topic. No, not every criticism of a vaccination or bad reports about a vaccination are wrong, but not every report is right either. And not all criticism can be accepted, especially if it is based on false reports. But now a lot of things on this topic are completely blurred and many arguments are based on sometimes true and factually understandable representations, and then the next moment on false reports that are completely taken out of context. The situation as it currently exists is the result of the constant disinformation that has caused so much irritation in various fields in recent years.
All sorts of nonsense was said about the vaccination. It started with simple false reports, such as missing pregnancies . As the spring progressed, disinformation and deliberate misinterpretations became even more radical. Suddenly it was claimed that children die if they are vaccinated. However, this was at a time when no children were being vaccinated and there were no official studies or trials with children and the Covid vaccination. These allegations continued into the summer.
Very important at this point: Of course there are individual cases with violent reactions to the vaccination. That shouldn't be kept secret, that shouldn't be kept secret. The problem, however, is that within the disinformation system these individual cases are generalized and then generalized. This means that by focusing on a single case with severe side effects, an external effect is achieved that presents all of these reactions as generally to be expected.
And now we have arrived at an exciting technology! This focus on individual cases means that the entire effect of a vaccination (or a test or a mask) is questioned and therefore disputed. The focused damage is scaled and subordinated to the effect. This is a distorted picture of reality, but it works.
The inconsistency
We have to say that event-related false reports have a short survival time. They're great today, but they could be a flop tomorrow. What's interesting is that the multipliers of these false reports don't care if they spread contradictory false reports over time. You could basically say “Why do I care about my chatter from yesterday”.
It's almost ironic if it weren't so real. We can currently point to an example of the tests and the (discussed) 2G measures. As already mentioned in this article, the corona tests were subject to a lot of false reports and disinformation. When it was announced in Austria a few days ago that the 2G rules would be introduced into everyday life and the 2G regulations were also being discussed in Germany, the tests suddenly took on a new importance. This means that those factions that a year ago wanted to use all means to denigrate the tests are now suddenly portraying the test as an important instance. An instance that is even more important than vaccination in the fight against the coronavirus.
I don't want to deny one or the other. At this point I just want to point out how much an attitude can change. An attitude that is always subject to one's own interests and is supported by all means (including false reports). This is not about rationality or the effectiveness of the individual means. This is simply about substantiating your own points of view.
In a certain humorous way, the Twitter account “Reptrails” got to the heart of this little paradox and at the same time beautifully showed that it is not about Corona, about vaccinations or, ultimately, about refugees. It's purely about your own interests:
And the situation is very similar when it comes to information consumption when it comes to supporting one's own interests. Here we are talking about the so-called “confirmation bias”. Of course, this confirmation bias is very easy to commit in the age of social media and “alternative media.” Within the diversity of information, which often and consciously relies on contradictory information, it is of course very easy to only look for the information on the Internet that supports your own interests and substantiates your own point of view.
We therefore have a search engine problem . Because if I sit down and look for information on a topic, the search engines will of course give me exactly the information that confirms my views anyway. Even when my views are wrong. And here we have to free ourselves from individual opinion bubbles and relate this problem to each of us. This means we have to control and consciously reflect on our own information consumption. Yes, for any type of opinion, there is information somewhere (even if it is wrong) to support that opinion.
So it will continue to exist!
We can now learn from the recent past that event-related false reports will continue to occur. They have been around for years and will appear again and again when an issue is socially important in reality. They work with the strategy of creating irritation. Radicalization is an important aspect, but it is not about the already radicalized and extreme groups.
With the multitude of disinformation, it is more about reaching a large number of people who live with a certain level of uncertainty about a certain topic. Those people who in the end don't know what's right and what's not right. People who, when in doubt, assume that both sides can somehow be right. And this is the moment when fake news and disinformation won.
They don't want to convince at all, they just want to create irritation. And this even when they obviously contradict each other, as we can see again and again with event-related false reports across all topics.
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