Autohoaxing is a skeptical approach and methodology primarily used in alternative media and conspiracy theory circles to critically analyze news events, particularly those reported by mainstream media as crises, tragedies, political incidents, or other high-profile occurrences. It involves automatically assuming such events are hoaxes, staged psychological operations (psyops), or instances of media fakery until concrete evidence proves them to be genuine. The term combines “auto” (automatic) with “hoaxing,” emphasizing a default stance of disbelief in official narratives due to perceived patterns of deception, propaganda, and perception management in media.Origins and ContextThe concept was popularized around 2017 by Tim Ozman, host of Infinite Plane Radio and founder of the Infinite Plane Society (IPS), a community focused on deconstructing media narratives from an “off-world stage” perspective.
It emerged as part of broader discussions on media skepticism, drawing from postmodern ideas about reality, simulation, and controlled information. Autohoaxing is not a mainstream term—it’s absent from standard dictionaries but appears in niche sources like Urban Dictionary and IPS-related publications.
It’s often linked to analyzing “predictive programming” (media content that seemingly foreshadows real events) and “concurrent programming” (entertainment syncing with news in real time), suggesting coordination between media and psyops.
Key PrinciplesAutohoaxing operates on several core ideas:
- Fake Until Proven Real: If an event is “fakeable” (e.g., could be staged with actors, CGI, or drills), it’s presumed false until verifiable facts outweigh doubts. This reverses the typical “real until proven fake” burden, placing it on the media to provide proof.
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- Reasonable Doubt as Sufficient for Rejection: Skeptics don’t need to fully explain how a hoax was executed; discrepancies, inconsistencies, or historical precedents of fakery (e.g., drills mirroring events) are enough to dismiss the narrative. This is likened to spottingohoax the mechanics.
- Informed Disbelief Over Low-Information Belief: Prior knowledge of media hoaxes (e.g., from 9/11 or pandemic coverage) informs the skepticism, prioritizing personal analysis over blind acceptance.
- Challenging Controlled Opposition: It questions not just mainstream stories but also alternative “conspiracy” narratives that might divert from deeper truths.
Proponents argue this mindset avoids falling for propaganda, but critics (even within skeptical communities) warn it can lead to paranoia or dismissal of genuine events.
MethodologyPractitioners follow a structured process:
- Initial Rejection: Suspend belief in the event’s reality upon hearing it, especially if it involves extraordinary claims or serves political agendas.
- Evidence Gathering: Analyze for hoax indicators like recycled imagery, predictive hints in entertainment, or inconsistencies (e.g., crisis actors, staging).
- Pattern Recognition: Look for synchronistic elements, such as media drills or films mirroring the event.
- Shift Focus: Once deemed a hoax, investigate the underlying agenda (e.g., fear-mongering or policy promotion).
Tools like AI (e.g., ChatGPT or Grok) are sometimes used to “retro-autohoax” historical events by analyzing them for fakery.
2 sourcesExamples
- Trump Assassination Attempt (Butler, PA): Autohoaxers cite cinematic staging, predictive programming in films like Captain America: Civil War, recycled photographers from past psyops (e.g., 9/11), and Trump’s history with staged events (e.g., January 6) as reasons to deem it fake, shifting inquiry to its propaganda goals. 2 sources
- Tyre Nichols Case: Viewed as a potential psyop for racial tension, with analysis focusing on media patterns rather than accepting the narrative.
- Historical Events: Ruby Ridge, Holocaust imagery, or 9/11 are “autohoaxed” by questioning official accounts and using AI to highlight inconsistencies.
2 sources - Modern Incidents: Events like school shootings or pandemics are often dismissed as staged for gun control or compliance agendas.
Autohoaxing is niche and polarizing, often described as a “lifestyle” in communities like IPS, where it’s seen as essential for navigating what they call the “Psyop Entertainment Complex.”
2 sources It’s not about denying all reality but prioritizing evidence over sensationalism in an era of potential deepfakes and manipulation.