Washington
Some social media users suggest that soaring fuel prices in the U.S. aren’t the result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, increased consumption or supply chain issues as daily life resumes after two years of stagnation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, the flurry of Facebook and Twitter posts offer, without evidence, that a nefarious scheme is underway: US President Joe Biden’s administration is intentionally driving up the price of gas to get more American drivers behind the wheel of an electric car.
“$6.00 a gallon gas is how you get people to buy electric cars,” claims one popular meme, shared thousands of times across Facebook and Instagram since Tuesday.
The newest internet fabrication shows that Americans’ obsession with conspiracy theories continues to play an outsize role in how they interpret political decision-making, even during times of war.
“At this point, conspiracy theories have become so ingrained in people’s psyche and because of social media, they spread like wildfire,” said Mia Bloom, a Georgia State University professor who recently authored a book examining the QAnon conspiracy theory. “If it’s not this conspiracy theory this week, it’ll be another one next week.”
The conspiracy theory-laden memes, Twitter posts and videos began swirling as the average price of regular gas broke $4 a gallon for the first time in nearly 14 years. The output of posts increased Tuesday after Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports, a move he warned would almost certainly drive up U.S. gas prices further but would deal a “blow” to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offensive in Ukraine.
