Facebook has finally stepped up and put a stop to the promotion of some “Area 51 raid” content. The social media company hasn’t banned all dialogue related to the unusual movement, but it did shut down an Area 51 raid event. Initially, the event sought to do little more than provide a few laughs. The creators were serious about attempting to raid the site where the government allegedly houses the remains of aliens from space. Incredibly, some people did take the event seriously. Plans for an actual raid on the government installation went into motion.
So, Facebook took down the event for violating community standards. Few can blame Facebook for its decision. The chances of people getting hurt raiding the facility were high. The Air Force had warned the public not to push such an over-the-top event. However, not everyone felt deterred.
The publicity the joke event received led to 2 million people signing up. Among those signees, a certain percentage wished to follow through with the raid for real. Facebook likely appreciated the publicity at first, but wasn’t going to be a party to a potential disaster. On August 3rd, Facebook shut the event down.
Or rather, Facebook removed the event from its official listings. The public’s consciousness about a raid exist. Some may attempt to go through with it. Without the event listing on Facebook, however, following through with any raid plans may prove difficult. Hopefully, for everyone’s sake, plans for the raid will fade away.
The notion Area 51 is home to deceased space aliens has mostly been debunked years ago. Myths and conspiracy theories till abound. The popularity of the event proves people are familiar with the legend. Don’t look for tales of mystery surrounding Area 51 ever to disappear.
In the coming decades, look for the tale of the Area 51 raid Facebook event to become part of 2010’s social media lore.
Dil Bole Oberoi
