What is the motivation behind hoaxes?

Hello everyone,

I have been thinking about this for a while and I don't yet have a satisfactory explanation:
Why perpetrate a UFO/alien hoax?

I don't see why anyone would go to the trouble and expense of putting together a well orchestrated hoax. To be funny? It seems that the laughs would be far outweighed by the effort required. Disinformation? Maybe but most of the people doing the hoaxes seem to have no tie to any government. I just don't see what would motivate someone to do this.

Thanks for the thoughts in advance!

Attention?

Fame?

Money?

DisInfo?

All of the above?

I despise the fact that the Internet UFO community has been overrun by hoaxers, and would never create a hoax myself...

BUT ask yourself this as a believer. IF you could create a hoax so well that it would fool everyone, including world governments and the mainstream media to the point that UFO research would be taken seriously, would you do it? I wonder if that is sometimes the motive.

Usually, though, people just create hoaxes before they're idiots looking for fame. (Billy Meier, etc.)

To prove their beliefs are right with 'evidence' to make other believe.

My guess is that most "hoaxes" fall into the following categories

- Promotion material created to spur the sale of books, DVD's or membership based websites of equally fraudulent nature.
- Promotion material meant to 'hype" legitimate works of fiction.
- Humour at the expense of the terminally dim-witted (a little far fetched but you'd be surprised how much idiocy can offend and how far some people will go to lash out.)
- Self-promotion campaign for exceptionally delusional characters.

The overwhelming number of hoaxes are intended as practical jokes. People think it's funny to trick other people. It makes them feel superior. Youtube is overflowing with this sort of petty nonsense. People know perfectly well that they're photographing the blinking light on a radio tower, but they jazz it up with "slo-mo" replays and "X-Files" music just for laughs. More elaborate hoaxes can have more deeply rooted motivations; in extreme cases hoaxers are attempting to create mind control cults.

Media like YouTube are perfect for hoaxes - short format, low quality/production value, available to all. I'm sure you could follow a curve linking the popularity of YouTube over time against the quantitative rise in UFO hoaxes.

To watch how much weight people will supply their beliefs to with no actual knowledge of the specifics.

I suppose it's like watching how mad a lunatic is based on a lie you tell them.

They create a reality based around it and show how far from civilised or sensible we are when presented with something that is more than likely too fantastic to be in the realms of credible.

We don't even need hoaxes for this to be shown. People do it with tea leaves, chicken entrails, clouds and aeroplanes.

-m0r

The thing you cannot hoax are multiple corroborative eyewitnesses in a public place (well, theoretically you could but it would be quite an effort!). As Skeptical Overlord pointed out in a recent thread the future investigation of UFO sightings will have to weigh more in this regard than the video evidence, especially now that video manipulation skills are more ubiquitous among the general public.

Hoaxes are created by skeptobunkers (Tm) who are so afraid of the truth that they need to muddy the water.

Oh yeah? prove me wrong then

I'm sure motivations vary. My totally unscientific seat-of-the-pants guess is that the vast majority are for grins. The same motivation vandals have when they deface public property or destroy someone else's property.

it wouldn't amuse me to do it, it doesn't amuse me when someone else does. Kids (or at least, the corresponding maturity level) with more time than sense. I think that explains the bulk of it.

i like a good hoax but the standard is definitley dropping with ufo cgi + youtube. They really put in little effort to convince anyone. Ray santillis alien autopsy now theres a proper hoax- special screening at the museum of london, doing the news & talk show circuit and more imprtantly selling the broadcast rights for a fortune lol

the last decent effort was by those big foot guys who held a press conference and dressed up a dog in a big foot costume. At least they went to the trouble of making it seem legit.

heres a clue about youtube videos, if its on there its likely fake who would give up worldwide media rights worth big money if they had something legit? thats not how the world works.

even the jerulsalem vid while being half decent he didnt even bother to rustle up a few witnesses to corroborate the video or try to sell the footage and make some cash. I call them internet hoaxes Poor show really

Originally posted by zorgon
Hoaxes are created by skeptobunkers (Tm) who are so afraid of the truth that they need to muddy the water.

Oh yeah? prove me wrong then

Hey can I use that?

I think a good hoax stimulates the brain and creates a sort of cat and mouse game between the creator of the hoax and the debunkers.

The sense of achievement when figuring out a well planned hoax is marvelous.

Without good hoaxers and their vids, youtube would certainly a dull place on the UFO side of things,

1) Attention, people want attention because something is lacking in their lives.

2) Dis-info and sensationalizing topics, for example if ones a hoax they all are. The more you see it on tv it can't be real kind of stuff.

two types: the ones who make hoaxes out of borderdom & for the fun and the ones who make them for making money (see Greer, Wilcock etc.)

Originally posted by theicc
Hello everyone,

I have been thinking about this for a while and I don't yet have a satisfactory explanation:
Why perpetrate a UFO/alien hoax?

Well why do cult leaders form cults? They love to think they are important, control , power impose will on followers. In many cases on yt and it's plethora of hoax videos there is a similar element. Such as a certain hoaxer who knowingly films planes and calls them ET craft, this person receives money from youtube as a partner for video hits. This person inspired others who live by air ports to hoax on thier channels too. But she was influenced by another hoaxer "not as successful" before she got the idea. This person also has the same kinds of delusions and megalomania as many cult leaders such as Jim Jones and Marshal Applewhite.This woman has a psychological disorder and substance abuse problem that is probably root to her cause. www.abovetopsecret.com...

Another example is Jose Escamilla, Jamie Maussan "tabloid" hoaxers as well as the scum bag that orchestrated the Jerusalem hoax at All news Web. Most often money is the reason. Or web traffic and publicity. Because there are deluded people who will believe anything, as long as there is a market for BS hoaxers will co exist. They are professional liars by trade, hustlers. Used car salesmen... selling you a lemon.
www.abovetopsecret.com...


Then you have jokers and clowns up to shenanigans, they are the most easy to spot. Usually the video is poor such as a kid with an alien mask running around in the brush. Look at all the hoax big foot videos on yt. Many of these hoaxers like to hoax more then UFO's. Then you have believers to mirror their efforts and fuel the hoax.

Without "blind believers" there would not be so much hoaxing. It's not the hoaxers themselves that irritate me so it is the fools that support them. Deny facts and argue in the face of logic even when proven wrong. Thanks to them the UFO issue gets left on the back burner. They are in fact the disinfo agents they so complain about.The PTB does not need to hire shills when there are plenty of lunatics out there doing the work for them