“Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us”. This was the name of a viral Facebook event created by video game streamer SymleeKun. Although the post was originally intended to be a joke, it quickly gained popularity and spiraled out of control. Eventually, over 2 million people declared that they were interested in the Facebook event.
While the Facebook event was receiving astonishing amounts of attention, other platforms were seeing the effects of the phenomenon as well. It is believed that the post first went viral on TikTok, a video sharing platform. It later spread to Instagram and other major social medias. The popular online forum, Reddit, was also flooded with tons of Area 51 related memes and conspiracy theories. Several subreddits (discussion topics) were also created dedicated to the event, such as r/area51.
Area 51 has been a hot topic in communities interested in extraterrestrial life, especially since its existence was confirmed by the CIA in 2013. Area 51 is a top secret United States Air Force (USAF) facility located in Nevada. Because of the extreme secrecy that surrounds the facility, it has prompted many conspiracy theories regarding the existence of UFOs, and extraterrestrial life in general. For example, in July 1947, a strange metal was found strewn across a field in New Mexico. The army released a press release stating that they had recovered some sort of “flying disk”. However, the army later rescinded this statement. Because of this incident, Area 51 is believed to be the holding ground for extraterrestrial aircrafts and bodies.
Although only 150 people actually showed up at the gate at the time of the event, the influence of this event reached far and wide. After rapidly spreading throughout the web, many government bodies felt the need to step in.
Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews issued this warning to those who were serious about the event. “[Area 51] is an open training range for the U.S. Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces.” McAndrews goes on to say, “The U.S. Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets.”
The Sheriff of Lincoln County, a county located near Area 51, Kerry Lee stated that the FBI would be monitoring the number of people at the event and gathering intelligence about the event. Mr. Lee mentioned in an interview with BBC that even if just one percent of the event responders actually went, it “would be more overwhelming than we can handle.” Mr. Lee also requested 150 additional officers and 300 additional paramedics in order to keep the event under control.
This event clearly goes to show the massive influence that the internet and social media has on everyone in today’s age. The impact of this event is not defined by the number of people that actually committed to the event, but instead in the level of attention received from not just normal citizens, but the government as well.
In the world we live in today, social media has become more than just a way of communicating and catching up on our friends. It has evolved into a tool that people can use to share their thoughts, and spread their influence. The world cannot simply sit back idly as the internet is embedded more and more into how we function as human beings. We need to rise and meet the new challenges and opportunities that this digital age presents us. The internet will only grow larger and stronger, for better or for worse.
Article by Steven Wang of Takoma Park Middle School
Graphic by Angelina Guhl of Richard Montgomery High School