Social media is both a blessing and a curse. It is great to share photos and memories of family and friends to stay connected. It can also spread false information. Sometimes it truly is like the Wild, Wild West. You have to be careful and have a discerning mind about what you choose to believe.
A new conspiracy theory is making the rounds on TikTok. It claims that dinosaurs were discovered in China in “uncharted lands.” This all began with a three-minute video post by TikToker @ravenguru2.
According to her post, Raven was practicing self-care at a nail salon. A Chinese news report was on in the background, and it caught her attention. She decided to use a translation app to figure out what was going on.
Raven was shocked to learn what the Chinese news was reporting. She claims that it stated 13-foot dinosaur-like creatures were discovered in “uncharted lands.” This was nowhere to be seen on American news outlets.
Raven asked her nail technician if she was understanding the broadcast correctly. They allegedly confirmed her findings. Raven also added that the newscast mused about potential dangers if the newly discovered creatures got out. This sounds a lot like the plots of the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchises.
Raven’s post quickly went viral. Just two weeks after it was posted, it had already been viewed over 740,000 times. It also spread beyond the social media app and moved onto other sites such as Twitter.
As fun as conspiracy theories are, there is a more logical explanation. It is very possible that Raven’s translation app did not accurately tell the whole story. Last year a sinkhole was found in Guangxi, China, so it is possible the news was discussing that.
When news outlets reported this story, they used terms such as prehistoric. They also mentioned massive trees “towering over 130 feet.” This could very easily be mistranslated.
This is not the first misguided conspiracy theory to hit TikTok. There have been several just this year. One claimed the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Museum. Another claimed a man found a giant and was then assassinated to keep his discovery from reaching the public.
Conspiracy theories are much sexier to believe than facts. They spread like wildfire on social media sites. Perhaps Raven was actually just seeking internet fame.
