By: Emma Yuan

Many people today know the Titanic as a ship that tragically sank, leading to the deaths of over a thousand of people on board. The movie Titanic has further cemented that legacy with its portrayal of a tragic love story, torn apart by the shipwreck. Though the story may differ depending on who you ask, the fact remains that the Titanic now sits on the Atlantic Ocean floor. Recently, however, a small group has formed on the social media platform TikTok, and they have different ideas.

In the current times, new discoveries uncovered from the roots of the past have given way for new theories to arise on historical events. Over a century after the sinking of the Titanic, new theories arose over its disappearance. Some question the snap of the Earth, some question the existence of birds, and others, it appears, question the validity of the Titanic’s shipwreck. A popular theory amongst those conspiring is that the Titanic had been swapped out in an attempt to receive the insurance placed on the ship. This theory has long since been disproved, but that doesn’t stop those searching for answers.

Another popular theory was that the Titanic was part of a hit job in order to eliminate opponents of the Federal Reserve. Theorists go as far as to consider the possibility of a resentful Egyptian ghost possessing a passenger. These conspiracies have frustrated scholars dedicating themselves to the truth.

TikTok is a platform that connects tens of millions of users worldwide. However, this simply leaves more opportunities for the spread of misinformation. As the world becomes more connected, the line between fact and myth becomes blurred as inaccurate information is passed along channels truth is unable to reach first. Though rules are implemented regarding the validity of certain statements, more often than not people are willing to take things at face value and don’t think to look further, undermining authenticity. And inevitably, this information continues to circulate throughout the algorithm, overlooked by those above. The world has advanced enormously since the Stone Age, but as history is overwritten, we may yet learn from our mistakes.