TOPSHOT - Members of Wagner group looks from a military vehicle in Rostov-on-Don late on June 24, ... [+]
On Monday morning, President Joe Biden said that the West was not involved in any way in the short-lived mutiny conducted by the Wagner Group mercenary force that began on Friday evening.
"We made clear that we were not involved. We had nothing to do with it. This was part of a struggle within the Russian system," Biden said during remarks in the East Room of the White House. The president also said he had spoken with NATO allies over the weekend, and added, "We had to make sure we gave Putin no excuse—we gave Putin no excuse—to blame this on the West or to blame this on NATO."
However, since Sunday afternoon many on social media have seen it another way entirely. There were those who shared the seemingly improbable theory that the mutiny was carried out as a distraction to draw away attention from the latest allegations involving the president and his son Hunter Biden.
There was also the competing conspiracy theory floated on social media that this was a bold plan by Russian President Vladimir Putin to redeploy the Wagner Group to Belarus, where it would be within striking distance of Kyiv. That theory was based on the fact that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has been exiled to Belarus after he led the failed armed uprising on Saturday evening. Prigozhin said via the Telegram social messaging platform that he only called off the march on the Russian capital of Moscow to avoid spilling Russian blood. In his 11-minute rambling audio rant, the mercenary leader also said the uprising was intended to register a protest at the ineffectual conduct of the war in Ukraine, not to overthrow the government in Moscow.
Still, others on social media claimed the mutiny was a false flag operation intended to restore confidence in Putin's regime—even as the Russian leader has been largely absent in recent days, making only brief remarks via a video to the Russian people on Friday.
Differing Wild Theories With No Basis In Fact
Such wild conspiracy theories have mutually exclusive takes on the mutiny, and its aftermath. But what all three—among other ideas circulating on the social platforms—is that none seem to be based on fact. The question to ask is how anyone could think this was somehow a cover for Biden or was an attempt to make Putin appear stronger.
"The answer is they are not thinking. They are seeking gratification," explained Susan Campbell, distinguished lecturer in the Department of Communication, Film and Media Studies at the University of New Haven.
Yet, such theories have been trending and have been presented very much as fact on the social networks.
"These kinds of theories continue to flourish due to the trending nature of social media as well as little to no pushback from those networks," warned Jason Mollica, professorial lecturer and program director in the School of Communication at American University.
"Case in point, a Monmouth University study last August showed 29 percent of Americans still believe President Biden's win was fraudulent. The more people rely on social media as their only source of information, the more likely they will tend to believe in conspiracies. We also know that trust in the government continues to be very low. With that thought process already having taken hold, it's easy to see why that theory has virtual legs on Twitter."
From Live Reporting To Spreading Misinformation
Social media was thus a platform for real-time updates as the mutiny unfolded—just as it was for reporting from the ground during Arab Spring and other such events. Yet, it has also proven to be where theories rather than facts can quickly gain legs and spread at record speed.
"There are many credible reports as to why this kind of fake information gets spread, and one of the more recent studies, from USC, says spreading false information has quite a lot to do with a user's social media habits," said Campbell. "Everyone wants a hit of dopamine, and the more outrageous the information, the more attention the user gains, and the greater the shot of dopamine."
People are also unwilling to fact-check what they read on social media and instead simply share and repost. As these posts trend, it furtherallows misinformation and disinformation to be taken as fact.
"Our technological reach has gone beyond our ethical one; people don't seem concerned whether the information they are spreading is false or true or uplifting or damaging," added Campbell. "They do care, however, about getting attention and dopamine. It's like a bunch of babies seeking pacifiers. Our public discussions will become better informed the day these users figure out another way to get that dopamine, and may that way be off-line."
