… We all mistake repetition for accuracy.” In other words, when people hear an idea repeatedly in an echo chamber created by their social media networks, they are even more likely to believe it. Jen Gunter, an OB/GYN and women’s health advocate who addresses misinformation about health and wellness, noted that social media and the 24-hour news cycle represent a “toxic combination that lets misinformation just metastasize. When information gets repeated frequently, people believe it to be true - often regardless of the source’s credibility or evidence to the contrary. In the case of COVID-19, we’ve seen an alarming number of people consuming medications not approved for its treatment, and we continue to see additional spikes in COVID cases in part because of misinformation about vaccine safety.Ĭollective false memory works in tandem with another phenomenon arising from our media-saturated environment: the illusory truth effect. Granted, many popular examples of the Mandela effect seem harmless - remembering “Berenstein” Bears instead of “Berenstain,” or believing Darth Vader said “Luke, I am your father” - but when we consider collective false memory in connection with misinformation and disinformation it raises much graver concerns. This phenomenon has implications stretching far beyond my misguided attempt to get a gag gift for my colleague. The Mandela effect represents a pop culture take on collective false memory, which occurs when large groups of people misremember the same thing or remember something that never actually happened. The common misperception that the Monopoly man wears a monocle is but one example of the Mandela effect. It turns out I’m not alone in my erroneous belief. But after checking images of Rich Uncle Pennybags, I learned the character in fact does not wear one. ![]() When my colleague compared himself to the Monopoly man, I thought it would be hilarious to get him a monocle. During a recent meeting with a colleague, I noticed a black top hat sitting on his bookshelf and jokingly suggested he start wearing it to greet people entering the office.
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