Why Would Anybody Claim That Birds Aren’t Real?

<p>Birds Aren’t Real, a conspiracy theory with an apparently absurd premise, has become surprisingly popular in the past few years.</p><p>But its followers were in on the joke: The movement’s aim was to poke fun at misinformation … by creating misinformation.</p><p>Has it been successful?</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/taylor-lorenz">Taylor Lorenz</a>, a former technology reporter for The New York Times.</p><p>Have you lost a loved one during the pandemic? The Daily is working on a special episode memorializing those we have lost to the coronavirus. If you would like to share their name on the episode, please RECORD A VOICE MEMO and send it to us at <a href="mailto:thedaily@nytimes.com">thedaily@nytimes.com</a>. You can find more information and<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/03/podcasts/daily-memorial-covid.html"> specific instructions here</a>.</p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Among<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/technology/birds-arent-real-gen-z-misinformation.html"> the outlandish claims</a> of the Birds Aren’t Real movement: Our feathered friends are really U.S. government drones used to spy on Americans.</li></ul><p>Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>.</p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>