People are convinced there’s a ‘glitch in the matrix’ after bird spotted not moving in sky

Conspiracy theorists have taken to TikTok to share a spooky video which shows some very odd-looking goings on.

While they are at best harmless nonsense and at worst potentially very dangerous, some conspiracy theories do have a weirdly fascinating appeal.

I'm not talking about the ones which can pose an active danger to people, like the QAnon conspiracy or anti-vaccination. These are harmful and should never be indulged in.

I'm talking more about things like whether or not we're living in a simulation, or whether aliens are real. While a bit silly, these can be interesting to opine on occasionally, as long as they're not taken too seriously.

This eerie video falls into the simulation category, and shows what appears to be a bird mid-flight.

However, what is odd about it is that the bird isn't moving at all, even though from its position it seems as though it should be.

Conspiracy theorists suggested that it might be a 'glitch in the matrix', a sign that we're living inside a computer program that simulates all of reality around us - and it's so vast and complex that occasionally it doesn't work quite right. That's when we see weird things happening that don't seem like they should be possible.

So, seeing a bird hovering in the air without moving could be that. Spooky.

TikTok / bluefrenchhorn26

It's an interesting idea and does have roots in some actual philosophy as well, albeit taking it rather literally. The Matrix movies can be read as an example of Plato's theory of 'The Cave', which is a philosophical idea that shows how what we perceive to be true might not be.

If you chain people up in a cave and they can only see the shadows of what is happening behind them, then as far as they're concerned the shadows are reality. There's also the more modern 'brain in a vat' experiment. Would it be possible to convince a brain that it was real by giving it the proper stimulus, even though it's just in a vat?

It's certainly a fun theory.

The video does look very weird, the bird does seem to just be hovering in midair.

However, the danger with any conspiracy is that it often makes connections between pieces of evidence which simply don't add up. It can also misinterpret or misrepresent data, not taking account of factors such as survivors' bias.

At their worst, conspiracy theories play into the ugliest beliefs and convictions that humans hold, and in those forms can be very dangerous indeed.