Birds Aren't Real: The Rise of Media Literacy Vigilantism

• In Event: The Question of Curriculum in (and for) a World of Disinformation

Abstract

Birds Aren’t Real: The Rise of Media Literacy Vigilantism

Objectives
This paper describes an emergent phenomenon through the exploration of grassroots out-of-school media literacy practices of social movements, specifically the Birds Aren’t Real campaign. In addition to a case study and description of the of the movement, a concept of media literacy vigilantism will be introduced as a way of examining the significance of do-it-yourself (DIY) media practices in response to digital dismisinfo.

Theory
Following Asif and Weenink (2022) this paper defines vigilantism in terms of the moral philosophy of Emile Durkheim (1893/1984, 1912/1995). Vigilantes operate beyond institutional power, drawing their motive to act on the impunity that results from the inaction of organizations positioned to right a particular wrong. As individuals join other like-minded vigilantes, their belief in a shared cause is reinforced, something Durkheim (1912/1995) would summarize simply as “belonging is believing.” That same sense of belonging can be found in more contemporary work around participatory culture (Jenkins, Ito, & boyd, 2016), demonstrating how grassroots media literacy vigilantism movements like Birds Aren’t Real use networked publics (boyd, 2014) to mobilize people to attend rallies in order to call attention to equally absurd conspiracies that migrated from the margins and into mainstream political discourses.

Data and Methods
This case study (Stake, 2005) of the Birds Aren’t Real movement applies exploratory qualitative content analysis method (Bengtsson, 2016). Data sources include interviews, websites, social media, YouTube videos, and news reports on the Birds Aren’t Real movement and its founder, Peter McIndoe. Specific content was chosen to explore a) the mission and actions taken by the Birds Aren’t Real community and b) its impact on the media landscape in response to dismisinfo.

Findings
Peter McIndoe, creator of the Birds Aren’t Real movement, lampoons conspiracy theories through the performance of an alter-ego who claims that birds were slowly supplanted by robotic drones meant to spy on Americans in the 1960s. He has received cult fame by holding mock rallies in support of his cause while attending other political rallies to interview believers of fringe conspiracy theories. In doing so, McIndoe holds a mirror to society by demonstrating the absurdity of dismisinfo.

The full paper describes the links between culture and literacy, describing how media literacy vigilantes like McIndoe appropriate the discursive style of the purveyors of dismisnfo by leveraging platforms, exploiting virality, and capitalizing on meme culture.

Significance
This paper describes a phenomenon that emerged as a result of the institutional failure to respond to the fake news epidemic. Media literacy vigilantism and its practices are meant to disrupt the current media ecology—offering an alternative to the traditional conceptualization of media literacy curriculum.

Crucially, vigilante violence in American history has often targeted marginalized communities and, as such the purpose of this paper is nont to extol vigilantism, but rather to describe an emergent phenomenon. The Birds Aren’t Real movement reorients the concept of vigilantism, demonstrating the possibility of force without violence through spectacle, performance, and cultural critique.

Author

• William J. Fassbender, Montana State University
  Presenting Author