Hoax stories, frauds, conspiracy theories and rumors have been around for hundreds of years. Anyone can claim that they saw, heard or felt something. However, with the advent of the internet, all this fake news and propaganda can be manufactured and presented as real.
Anyone can use Photoshop to pretend they’re in a luxurious hotel or hanging around with a few celebrities. Angry idealogues can create fake news articles to prove their point in the comment section of a Facebook post. Of course, conspiracy YouTube channels also purposefully present stories and made-up facts to make people believe that the Earth is flat or that lizard people run the world.
However, things can become much worse. Politicians can use the power of propaganda and fake news for their own agenda. The most recent example is the war between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian government is saying that the war and attacks are a hoax, and many people believe that it’s real, and the footage going viral is made by staged actors.
With all that said, let’s look at the top movies about fake news and propaganda, which will help you second guess everything you see or hear online.
The Social Dilemma
“The Social Dilemma” is at the top of the list. Everyone who’s ever used social media in their life needs to watch it. Seriously. It will make you change the way you look at the internet and enhance your understanding of the algorithm and what it’s trying to make you do.
Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram are the tech platforms that control the world. The people that work there have control over billions of lives, both directly and indirectly. More than half of the people who have joined extremist groups got directed there because of the algorithm. Countries are creating political disinformation campaigns.
Teenagers and kids using the platforms have poor physical and mental health, and rates of suicide are increasing because of it. “The Social Dilemma” is a disturbing documentary that will make you throw away your phone, avoid news outlets altogether, and second-guess everything you see online.
After watching the documentary, most people want to become anonymous so that the algorithm doesn’t track them anymore. The only way to do that is by using a VPN. Virtual private networks hide your IP address and make you nearly invisible online. Getting a USA VPN is the only line of defense against the trillion-dollar algorithm directed at your brain at every moment.
Tinder Swindler
Twenty years ago, you would never go out with someone you met online. Parents taught their children never to talk to strangers. However, dating apps like Tinder have taken things to a whole new level.
People meet on the app, talk for a while, and get together to have a chat or more. Even though the stigma about dating apps has dropped, “The Tinder Swindler” shows that there are plenty of people who should never be trusted.
Equipped with a fake name and fake news articles about him being the son of Israel’s king of diamonds, he bewitched women into falling in love with him. He wore designer clothes on the first date, took them for a ride in his private jet, and lavishly spent in front of his dates.
Soon after, he sent videos claiming he was in trouble, asking for a payment from their credit cards because he didn’t want to be tracked. After all, the diamond business is bloody, and he would pay them back immediately. He sent fake checks and fake watches. Then, he went for a new victim. After watching “The Tinder Swindler,” you will become extra careful when meeting people online.
Inventing Anna
Inventing Anna is the reverse Tinder Swindler. Instead of a dating app, she uses her social media persona to trick the elites in New York City into thinking that she’s an incredibly wealthy German heiress.
Again, social media and the internet play a prominent role in how people perceive her. You can still find the real Anna Delvey on Instagram, which goes on to say just how twisted society has become.
Instead of condemning the behavior of these criminals who created fake identities, people are following them and giving them even more attention. The only thing you can do is to change the way you use and trust the internet and social media overall.
