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Analysis
A video making the rounds on Instagram has conspiracy theorists convinced that a so-called “zombie virus” has been unleashed in China. In reality, the footage was filmed at an event in an entirely different country.
The video, uploaded to the social media platform last week, shows an individual filming from their phone while attempting to escape a subway car. Screaming can be heard from other panicked people in the clip before armed soldiers are seen entering the subway.
One person supposedly infected with the virus can be seen attempting to enter the subway car before it eventually leaves the station.
“Alleged ‘Zombie’ Virus Attack in China,” a caption on the video states. “Wyd in this situation!?”
Users filled the comments with derogatory remarks regarding the Chinese, arguing that the country had brought the issue upon itself.
Others suggested that the video was actually staged in an attempt to cause fear among the public. Claims of staged deaths were common among conspiracy theorists during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Remember the videos of people dying all over the streets from Covid?” the user asked. “Don’t fall for this again.”
One commenter even suggested that the allegedly sick individual in the video had actually taken narcotics.
“That’s called someone using bath salts and having an overdose,” they said.
But several factors in the video indicate that the claims being made are entirely false. For starters, signs inside the subway car suggest that the video was filmed not in China but in Indonesia.
It turns out that the footage was filmed during an event in the country known as the “Train To Apocalypse.” The event ran from August to September of last year and attracted horror fans from across the country.
A news report from the Indonesian outlet Kompas.com even noted that footage circulating online at the time of the event had also fooled many people into believing that something nefarious had taken place.
Nevertheless, users in the comments on Instagram called for China to be “cut off from civilization.”
While the zombie virus isn’t real, people’s xenophobic reactions to it are.
Why it matters
The video highlights how despite its illogical claims, users can still be quick to believe anything so long as it aligns with their preconceived notions.
The fact that the video falsely claims to have been filmed in China is likely what led so many people to not only suggest it was real but to call for the country to be cut off from the rest of the world.
Mikael Thalen
Mikael Thalen is a tech and security reporter covering social media, data breaches, hackers, and more.
