Steven Crowder Warns Viral ‘Hoax Clips’ Are Fueling Real-World Chaos

"Fake News" isn't exactly a new phenomenon, as the phrase has already been around for nearly a decade.

Many people have spent the majority of that time railing against the old guard of legacy media, and for good reason.

But, as Steven Crowder explains, the collapse of trust didn't lead to new or better information, it just created a new form of media hoaxes and clickbait.

READ: The Return Of Steven Crowder's "Change My Mind" Came With Some Heavy Precautions

Only this time, it spreads even faster. And that isn't accidental.

"Some of the most viral posts have been flat-out fabricated or completely false," Crowder said, arguing that the internet’s incentive structure has created what he calls "new media malpractice."

The phraseology is harsh but apt.

These viral clips spread like wildfire and are often treated like evidence in the court of public opinion (read: social media) even when the evidence is fake.

Crowder’s core complaint isn’t just that people get things wrong. It’s that the system rewards getting things wrong loudly, and then moving on before anyone checks.

"People are simply fabricating out of thin air stories that never took place," he said. "Everyone now is chasing clicks, clicks, clicks."

It's sometimes as simple (and dangerous) as reading the caption without even watching the clip in its entirety.

And when you scroll the replies, Crowder says the damage becomes obvious:
"The problem is not just these people lying… you see so many people who believe it."

This all comes in response to the rising tensions in Minnesota, where ICE agents and citizens have clashed, sometimes in fatal fashion.

In today's day and age, the trick isn't the video, it's the framing around it. The narrative gets built in the caption, and by the time you get to the comments, it's already too late.

Crowder argues that a huge portion of "scandal" content survives only because people never click play or they watch with a fully formed conclusion already cocked and loaded.

Crowder also makes a point that’s easy to miss: fake stories don’t just mislead people today — they poison credibility tomorrow.

"If you form your opinions on non-reality," he warned, "you are starting from the reality chosen by… the propagandist."

If you believe the propaganda and let someone else pick the facts for you, you aren't even thinking. You're just reacting.

Don't fall for it. Before you react, just hit play.