The Titanic, known for its tragic sinking, has become the subject of viral TikTok videos promoting a conspiracy theory that the ship never sank, raising concerns about the spread of historical misinformation.
The Titanic inspired a tear-jerking blockbuster and expeditions to its watery graveside, including a fatal one this week. However, viral TikTok videos peddle a stunning conspiracy theory: the ship never sank.
Even more striking is a wave of TikTok videos asserting that the Titanic did not sink at all. Many of them have racked up millions of views. Never mind that the claim fails to hold water.
“Everyone is familiar with the tale of the unstoppable ship that perished after colliding with an iceberg, but perhaps that isn’t the case.”
@the_deep_dive The Titanic Never Truly Sank #mystery #history #titanic #trending #viral ♬ original sound – The Deep Dive
The video opens with a dramatic portrait of the Titanic, its stern crashing against stormy waves, as an imperious male voice claims that it was swapped with its sister ship, the Olympic.
He alluded to an oft-repeated conspiracy theory that the company that built the Titanic purposely sank the Olympics, another one of its ships, as part of an elaborate insurance fraud.
A similar TikTok video claiming “the Titanic never sank” garnered 11 million views. The video was removed earlier this year in what appeared to be a rare intervention after the US media widely reported it.
Historical falsehoods
Experts say that TikTok’s algorithm and engagement-based recommendation system, which creates personal feeds for users based on their preferences, make it a powerful platform for propagating conspiracy theories.
“This makes it easier for this type of content to spread,” Megan Brown, a senior research scientist at New York University’s Center for Social Media and Politics, informed.
“The other factor that makes it easier for historical conspiracy theories to spread over other types of conspiracy theories or misinformation is that it’s typically not moderated content.”
That approach, researchers say, underscores a fundamental dilemma facing social media platforms: How to tackle an explosion of misinformation without giving users the impression that they are restricting free speech?
That gap in policy has given rise to a breed of users who flourish on the back of disproven conspiracy theories that generate strong engagement, such as the Earth is flat and the 1969 Moon landing was a hoax.
“Sad part”
That also includes TikTok’s Titanic influencers, focused on the vessel that sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage from England to New York after hitting an iceberg.
The proliferation of Titanic conspiracy theories on the popular platform may appear benign compared to other falsehoods that result in real-world harm. Still, historians say it remains vital to debunk them.
They worry conspiracy theories will affect how a generation of young people, who often rely on platforms such as TikTok as a primary source of information, learn about the tragedy.
“The sad part is that many of the people following this sort of thing are teenagers,” said Charles A. Haas, founder of the Titanic International Society, dedicated to research about the ill-fated ship.
TikTok’s influencers and celebrities are increasingly taking over from journalists as the main news source for young people, according to a report published by the Britain-based Reuters Institute this month.
Miroslava Salazar with AFP
