Part 1 of the TED Radio Hour episode Shock Value.
In 2016, Peter McIndoe started a farcical conspiracy theory called Birds Aren't Real—gaining a following of Gen Z adherents. He reflects on what the fake movement reveals about belief and belonging.
About Peter McIndoe
Peter McIndoe is the founder of Birds Aren't Real and has a social media following of 500,000. Growing up, McIndoe was home-schooled in a deeply conservative religious community in rural Arkansas. Today McIndoe works to explore the "us-versus-them" mentality implicit in conspiracy theories. His work has been featured everywhere from The Guardian to 60 Minutes. He is currently working on a book, due out in 2024.
This segment of TED Radio Hour was produced by Katie Monteleone and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.
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