On TikTok, one video casts a recent string of mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey as an “#invasion” “coming off the ocean” to target “sensitive infrastructure” like bridges and nuclear plants. On Facebook and X, posts say the sightings are evidence of an Iranian espionage operation or a U.S. military surveillance campaign.
None of the claims are substantiated, and state and federal officials are struggling to calm a wave of online anxiety that has spread to multiple states. But with public trust in mainstream media at a record low, the pipeline from trending content to full-blown conspiracy has never been shorter.
More than half of U.S. adults now get their news from social media, according to data from Pew Research, and the voracious demands of the content economy often influence what's considered newsworthy and how fast stories develop. Over the past month, as authorities have met the growing drone panic with occasional flight restrictions and scant information, online creators and communities have taken over, rushing to fill in the blanks with theories tailored to followers across the political spectrum.
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