This is another example of what the IFLA Trend Report 2024 identified as a growing mistrust in institutions and experts. There’s a conspiracy theory that the U.S. government controls the weather, unfortunately amplified by a U.S. Senator.

This Rolling Stone article explores the causes of these viral theories, such as mistrust of mainstream media, scientists and governments, as well as the USA’s heated political environment and unmoderated social media rabbit holes.

“The platforms are just not prepared,” says Richards. “They are seemingly very unequipped to handle widespread misinformation that arises in the wake of these events. And if we’re going to learn anything from this experience, it’s that the platforms need to seriously invest in climate-related content moderation, because this is causing harm and it’s impeding relief efforts, and it could hurt people.”

The consequences of misinformation can be trivial or serious. In this case, they look very serious. A fascinating, although depressing, article.

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O’Neil, L. (2024, October 9). Meteorologists get death threats as Hurricane Milton conspiracy theories thrive. Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/hurricane-milton-misinformation-meteorlogist-death-threats-1235130352/

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