The ideo in which Kate Middleton reveals she has a tumor has not silenced the conspiracy theorists. If several users on the web apologized for what they wrote about her before finding out about her illness, conspiracy theories have not died out at all, writes the Guardian. Indeed there was a surge in the hashtag #Kategate which yesterday reached a peak of 400 mentions, more than the 373 of the previous weekend, reports BrandMentions, a company that monitors social media. The theme is popular on X, but also Instagram and Tik Tok.
And it is precisely on Tik Tok that a video was posted, viewed 200 thousand times yesterday alone, in which it is stated that the announcement of the future British queen may have been manipulated, perhaps with the help of artificial intelligence. The veracity of the images of the princess is meanwhile confirmed by a BBC statement, which specifies that Kate was filmed in the video by a crew from the broadcaster.
According to Quassim Cassam, professor of philosophy and conspiracy theory expert at the University of Warwick, It often happens that rumors are fueled by the evidence that disproves them. Conspiracy theories, he explains, “can’t be stopped because the evidence is treated as part of the conspiracy. That’s why they’re so resilient.”
Ma there are also people who spread news of conspiracies for fun, notes Whitney Phillips, an expert on digital platforms and ethics at the University of Oregon. “The rampant speculation that accompanies these theories can also be an entertainment or a distraction for the participants”, without caring too much about the consequences on the people directly involved. Qassam believes that Kate hoaxes will gradually disappear as conspiracy theories on new topics emerge.