If the recent surge of “COVID-19 challenges” like kids licking toilet seats wasn’t enough to make your skin crawl, now people are theorizing that 5G cell phone towers are the leading cause of the spread of coronavirus. Technology is constantly changing and with the release of new 5G cell phone reception, and telecommunication companies expected a positive reaction from the public, but got the opposite.
Just like the multiple conspiracy theories being spread about 5G, there seems to be two main theories that are prevalent.
The first is that 5G is the actual cause of COVID-19, and the towers being built are the main way that the virus is being spread to the public. People believe the virus began in Wuhan, China because it was one of the first countries to have 5G connectivity.
The second theory is that radiation from 5G towers are making humans’ immune systems weaker, meaning that they are more susceptible to the virus. Since these towers happened to start being put up in the middle of a pandemic, it is why this ridiculous theory is one of the leading conspiracies that many are believing.
Instead of the theories living in the depths of cringey Reddit posts or fake Facebook videos that your mom shows you, celebrities are hopping on the conspiracy theory train and are bringing these ideas mainstream.
Actor Woody Harrelson, best known for his role as Woody Boyd in the NBC sitcom Cheers or playing Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games recently shared his thoughts about 5G connectivity to his two million instagram followers. Harrelson shared a now-deleted video captioned, “Meanwhile the Chinese are bringing 5g antennas down.” Which was actually a video of Hong Kong protestors bringing down a smart lamp with cameras and sensors in an act of defiance against surveillance in 2019.
Another celebrity that’s been bringing false rumors to light is former two-time junior welterweight title holder Amir Khan. He’s said in several instagram videos that the 5G towers were created to keep people under control and are the reason for COVID-19 killing many people.
“Coronavirus this, coronavirus that. You’re probably getting bored of it, as I am. Do you not think it’s anything to do with that 5G in these towers that are going up? It might be for population control; get rid of a lot of us, especially when they say that it harms old people. Look at these towers at night-time that have been put up, then telling people not to go out,” said Khan in an instagram video to his 1.3 million instagram followers.
These conspiracy theories are dangerous and complete nonsense to be spread around the internet at such alarming rates. But if just the theories weren’t bad enough, people in the UK are now being charged for arson for burning down 5G towers that they believe are spreading the virus.
“Please help us make this stop,” said several telecommunications companies who have made joint statements regarding the attacks on their 5G towers being burned down in Britain.
These theories are already false and have now created an even bigger problem that could hurt people and jeopardize the income for telecom companies.
People need to stick to reading and listening to credible news that doesn’t spread false rumors or encourage dangerous behaviors during this time. We are already living through history and a literal pandemic, the least anyone can do is fact check and stop listening to Facebook conspiracy groups that are spreading false information to gullible people.
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