To understand the current obsession with Area 51, and storming it to “see them aliens”, we first have to go back to the roots of the conspiracy theory.
So how did we get here?
1940s: Kenneth Arnold & Roswell
The first rumblings of our modern alien obsession occurred in 1947. Private pilot Kenneth Arnold reported nine disc-like unidentified flying objects in the skies around him. In press interviews, Arnold stated that “The Army could give the answer” and “…the discs must be from another planet”. His description was of shiny aircrafts that were impossibly thin and impossibly fast. This was the first modern-day UFO sighting, and led to the press coining the term ‘flying saucer’. In the weeks following Arnold’s sighting, hundreds of similar reports flooded the news, including one by a United Airlines pilot. That same year a ‘flying disc’ was said to have crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. Now known as the Roswell UFO Incident, this fanned the flames of Arnold’s sighting. This was quickly explained as a US Army weather balloon, but it remains one of the best-known UFO incidents. For most of 1947, UFOs dominated the news, but it slowly left the American consciousness. Well, for a few decades.
1980s: Bob Lazar & Area 51
Public interest in UFO’s and aliens had been rising since the 70’s, when the modern abduction story was born. Groups of UFO enthusiasts formed and began contacting the CIA demanding information. But the bombshell, and the beginning of our Area 51 story, came with Bob Lazar’s first interview. In May 1989, Lazar gave an anonymous TV interview. He said that he worked at S4, a hidden facility near Area 51, and his job was to reverse engineer alien aircraft. He believed it was wrong that the government was keeping the technology and the existence of aliens from the American people. This resulted in an international media frenzy.
In November 1989, Lazar revealed his identity in order to give more information. In interviews he stated that the UFO was controlled by alien Element 115, which generated gravity waves. Lazar also stated that aliens had had involvement with Earth for the past 10 000 years. These things, he said, he learned from briefing documents and observation. One thing was for sure: the Area 51 obsession was here to stay.
2000s: Alien Encounters online
The 90’s solidified the general opinion that the Government was withholding UFO information, aided by the internet. But the 2000’s saw the internet take the world by storm. In 2003 a book called Alien Encounters, which detailed key UFO sightings and studies, was published and available online. In 2008 the British Ministry of Defence’s website released eight classified files. These files included alien craft flying above London, and correspondence between UK and US governments regarding public alien sightings. Books, files, interviews, photographs were all compiled on multiple alien-focused DIY websites. With the advent of forums and chatrooms, theories and information were able to circulate and develop at a breakneck pace.
2010s: YouTube, podcasts, Netflix
UFO sightings are now filmed and uploaded to YouTube channels. Bob Lazar went on Joe Rogan’s podcast. In 2017 the Pentagon released a US fighter jet video showing a UFO. In 2018 Netflix commissioned a documentary entitled Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers. Podcasts, like Extraterrestrial on Apple, solely discuss alien encounters. It is an era of streamable information designed to be consumed upon release. Conspiracy theories have been spurred on by the internet becoming the primary news source. People inform themselves, from sources they believe to be credible. News no longer needs government or network clearance to air. The extreme side of this is Flat Earthers and Anti-Vaxxers, but some may argue information is now more free.
“See them aliens”
Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us now has 3.3M people Going or Interested. Countless memes and jokes have been shared, including “plans” of how to storm the base. Real events capitalising on the meme’s popularity have also sprung up, like Area 51 themed raves (one’s even happening in Sydney). Of course, the original event is clearly a joke, but it is an interesting moment in the history of the alien conspiracy theory. It marks a re-introduction of alien conspiracies to current pop culture, assisted by new media. It shows that among 3.3M Facebook users, Area 51 and the aliens it may hide are well-known enough to joke about.
In a possibly threatening and definitely humourless statement regarding the event, the US Government said “The U.S. Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets.”
What do you think about Area 51? Let us know in the comments down below!