When 5G Technology and Disinformation Collide

by Kenneth Luck, Ph.D.

If you Google "5G conspiracy theories," an endless stream of news stories, blog posts, and videos will populate from your search inquiry, most published throughout 2020, just as the China COVID-19 pandemic began to pick up steam around the world.

But the 5G conspiracy theory really got people to pay attention in December 2020, when a lone Tennessean named Anthony Quinn Warner detonated a bomb in front of an AT&T building in downtown Nashville, killing himself and damaging 14 other buildings in the area (Jibilian 2020).  Luckily, no one else was killed, but Warner's deranged act was motivated, in part, by his belief that 5G technology (the fifth-generation mobile technology) is harmful.

Werner was a 5G conspiracy theorist.

Like many conspiracy theories, the 5G conspiracy theory has many variants, but the main gist of this conspiracy theory claims that the next generation of mobile technology will be used to spy on Americans, that 5G radio frequencies cause illness in humans and animals, and that 5G technology is the real cause of China COVID-19.

The 5G conspiracy theory is nothing more than repackaged junk thinking that can be traced even before wireless network technology has existed.  The burden of proof lies with those who make the claim, and, as Carl Sagan once said, the larger the claim, the larger the evidence is needed for one to accept that claim.  In this case, 5G conspiracy theorists have turned up empty-handed.

Although exploring the full extent of conspiracy thinking remains outside the scope of this article, it may be helpful to summarize a few key points.  First, conspiracy theories often involve a "powerful other" - a person or group who is in total control and can exert his or her will easily over others (Luck 2020).  Next, conspiracy theorists often feel as if they have some type of "special knowledge," which may make them feel unique (Luck 2020).  This "Need for Uniqueness," as the psychology literature calls it, remains attractive to conspiracy theorists.  Finally, conspiracy theories often emerge in the wake of major political, social, or historic events (Luck 2020).

The 5G conspiracy theory includes all of the above characteristics, with special emphasis on the last point.  Generally speaking, new technology often leaves onlookers astonished, particularly if they don't understand the underlying principles or mechanics of how that technology works.

Once it's here, 5G technology will undoubtedly touch the lives of many individuals.  For example, 5G will enable enormous bandwidth, will introduce unprecedented speed, and will spawn many new 5G consumer devices (Russell, et al., 2020).  While all of this will generally be a boost, 5G conspiracy theorists have seized on the fact that controversial Chinese telecompanies have been involved in the development of 5G, more towers will need to be installed, and 5G will use a new region of the radio spectrum (Russell, et al., 2020).  While the practices of Chinese telecompanies may merit legitimate security questions, the latter two - more towers and a new region of the radio spectrum - remains almost a moot point, as it is in part these two technologies that will enable greater bandwidth and faster connection speeds.  Again, there is no credible evidence to support the claims of 5G conspiracies.

It's easy to forget that conspiracy theories cropped up about 5G's predecessors 3G and 4G (Mays 2020).  Back in the early 2000s, for instance,some conspiracy theorists tied the 2003 SARS outbreak to 3G wireless technology - and the same false connections are happening now with China COVID-19.  Researchers refer to this cognitive bias as "the conjunction fallacy" - or, when two co-occurring events take place (like the installation of 5G towers and the coronavirus pandemic), one is thought to be the cause of the other.  But this type of reasoning is false, particularly if the claims lack supporting data.

Moreover, whereas the United States has become a hotbed of misinformation and conspiracy theories in recent years, it is worth noting that unlike the QAnon conspiracy, which focuses mostly on U.S. politics, the 5G conspiracy theory is truly a global phenomenon: Early in 2020, reports of individuals physically attacking 5G towers were reported in the U.K. (Goodman and Carmichael, 2020).  Meanwhile, around the same time in Bolivia, two telecommunication masts were set ablaze.  And in Australia, protesters in May 2020 showed up at anti-COVID-19 lockdown demonstrations with anti-5G signs and placards (Meese, Frith, and Wilken 2020).  Additionally, it was reported last year that, "Conspiracy theories about 5G technology were considered the greatest domestic threat to critical infrastructure [in the U.S.]." (Stunson 2020).

It may turn out that 5G may bring some advantages and some unforeseen disadvantages, but this remains the case for almost any new technology.  In fact, the technology adoption curve is almost the same for any new innovation.  As the sociologist E.M. Rogers pointed out in 1962, there are the innovators, early adopters, and laggers, but - ultimately - new technologies eventually end up in all of our hands, even if for some individuals that technology becomes not-so-new by then.  Finally, it may also be in the interest of IT professionals, programmers, and anyone else involved in the tech community to start educating the public about what 5G technology is and how it works because one of the best defenses against misinformation is factual information.

References

Goodman, J., and Carmichael, F. (2020)  "Coronavirus: 5G and Microchip Conspiracies Around the World"  BBC Reality Check

Jibilian, I. (2020)  "The Accused Nashville Suicide Bomber was Reportedly Paranoid About 5G Technology"  Business Insider  (Note that Business Insider IS a conspiracy website!)

Luck, K. (2020)  "Emergence of Conspiratorial Ideas and Big Data: A Google NGram Viewer Quantitative Analysis of Historical Trends from 1900 to 2008"  (Doctoral Dissertation, Marywood University, 2019)  Journal of Applied Professional Studies

Mays, M. (2020)  "Why 5G Conspiracies are so Prevalent"  WKRN

Meese, J., Frith, J., and Wilken, R. (2020)  "COVID-19, 5G Conspiracies and Infrastructural Futures"  Media International Australia, 1329878X20952165

Russell, J., Wells, R., Dalby, A., and White, J. (2020)  "5G: The Complete Manual"  Marketforce, London, U.K.

Stunson, M. (2020)  "What is 5G Paranoia? Nashville Bombing Renews Conspiracy Theories"  Miami Herald

Kenneth Luck, SUNY Sullivan - Conspiracy Theories

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