Why Do Fans Believe Fake Movie Rumors? | Friday Free Talk

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time working for LRM, it’s that for every decent scooper out there, there are two bad ones. Why do fans believe fake movie rumors? I’m not talking about rumors which don’t always check out. Anyone in the scoop business knows it’s not 100% accurate. However, there is a huge difference between rumors that don’t come to fruition and flat out fibs for clicks. The fake, outlandish rumors have always been here since the internet first began. In my own experience following the Star Wars prequels, we had the likes of the infamous Super Shadow to contend with. However, things have changed.

Back in the day, the odd fan would come across a crazy piece of fake news from Super Shadow and get taken in. Usually, they’d come to a place where leaks were openly discussed and get set straight. ‘No, Super Shadow is not close personal friends with George Lucas, no, he will not be inheriting the Star Wars franchise after Lucas retires’. It seems silly even bringing up the massive troll account that was Super Shadow. However, there were the odd fans out there who were completely taken in. I recall debates with fellow fans that claimed this absolute Muppet was a legit source. What truly baffled me, was when each subsequent movie came out, and the lies were exposed, fans would still defend him, but why? It always intrigued me on a psychological level.

The Fake News Culture

Fast forward to 2020 and there are a host of legitimate scoopers out there, with real sources at Lucasfilm giving good information. Yet, there are more and more of these fake scoops being spread across the net, and guess what? They are getting popular. We could talk about several massive franchises here, but where things have gone downhill the most is regarding Star Wars. I’m quite happy to name the likes of Mike Zeroh and Doomcock on my list here. In fact, I would say the pair of them are easily on a level with Super Shadow.

I think I clicked on a Mike Zeroh video by accident once and now every time he posts something, YouTube notifies me about it. And no, I don’t subscribe to his channel, as the thought is horrifying. But I do regularly get to see the headlines. As for Doomcock, well, it’s hard to believe that there are fans out there eagerly anticipated the next video of a guy in a mask with the name Doomcock. I mean, is he saying he has a c*** of Doom? I don’t get it, and usually just refer to him as Spamcock, because of the utter spam he posts online.

There are other outlets I could add, which may not be on the same level as this pair, but they still post fake news stories. We Got This Covered anyone? Find a fan forum for leaks or a Reddit page and see what the readers think of WGTC. This week saw a ludicrous story from them about The Lord of the Rings show which every Tolkien fan knows is garbage just by reading the title. Yet again, there are fans who for some reason believe every word posted online by these clowns.

Why Do Fans Believe Fake Movie Rumors?

Why are conspiracy theories so popular? How in 2020 can we still have people who believe the Earth is flat? The answers are not logical, you can throw logic right out the window with this. It’s all about the believer/fan’s psychology. You see, humans like to form social groups. Some people don’t fit into the more popular social groups, and therefore feel like outsiders. If instead they can feel somehow special, and part of a very unique social group, it gives them positive feelings.

You could take a Flat Earther to Space and they’d still claim you somehow tricked them. You can prove mathematically the Earth is round and they will say you are mistaken. If the brain of a Flat Earther allowed them to critique their own belief system logically, then they would no longer believe. If they no longer believe, then they are no longer part of a unique social group, and we are back to square one.

The people that believe the Earth is flat are the same mind of people who buy in to Doomcock, Zeroh, and the many other purveyors of fan fiction. I’m not saying they believe the Earth is flat, I’m saying they enjoy feeling part of a ‘special’ group. The fans of these fiction writers don’t want the truth, the truth is boring and meant for everyone else not as smart as they are. Only ‘us’ the special and most imaginative fans can truly comprehend the fake leaks being spewed out weekly. That makes people feel special, part of a unique social group.

The Final Word

Why do fans believe fake movie rumors?

Look, if you read LRM, there is a good chance you don’t buy in to all the BS that’s out there. However, it’s fascinating to think about the mental state of the fans who do. A lot of the time, I am finding that if there is a feeling among the fans, these fakesters will capitalize on it. Star Wars fandom has been all over the place since Disney took over, more so since The Last Jedi. Then after The Rise of Skywalker literally pooped the bed and tried to make the original trilogy meaningless, fans were out for blood. Cue a story about big drama at Lucasfilm from the usual suspects.

If you believed these fake stories then Kathleen Kennedy would have been assassinated and replaced with a robot years ago. Remember the story Disney were remaking the entire sequel trilogy and scrapping the movies they just made? BTW, I’d support this idea if it was real, not gonna lie, but it’s simply ludicrous.

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Ultimately folks, if you see a scoop by any of the sources I mentioned above, avoid it. However, if you want to be part of the Scooby gang that buys into this BS, be my guest? After all, fake news about movies doesn’t really hurt anyone or does it? Actually, the level of abuse aimed towards some fave faces in the movie business must be pretty hurtful. If you are going to buy into fake movie rumors, don’t send hate messages to the talent? Do me that favor at least.

For anyone who is just looking for leaks, remember, they are limited. That means when the legit scoops run out, you have to speculate until something else appears. If you instead go searching for what you want to hear, I guarantee you’ll find it. There will always be unscrupulous people out there looking to make money form a mark. If you follow the fake news sites, you are their mark, trust me.

Why do fans believe fake movie rumors? Because those fans don’t actually want legitimate news. Instead they look for what they want to hear, and as said, you’ll always find it.

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