Storm Area 51: social media proves ‘they can’t stop us all’

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of InQuire Media

Image: Reuters

For the past few weeks, storming Area 51 has been a massive topic all over social media. From trending on twitter to a Facebook event dedicated to it, as well as countless memes and people expressing their plans to ‘storm raid’ Area 51 to release aliens from the clutches of the US government.

Through the Facebook event, 2 million people registered that they were ‘going’ whilst an additional 1.5 million stated that they were ‘interested’. On September 20, some individuals took matters into their own hands and went to the gates in an attempt to storm the area. The US military was well prepared for the alleged raid and locals around the surrounding area were warned that as many as 50,000 people could show up. 100 people stormed the gates, but only two were able to break in, with both individuals being detained, so it turned out they could ‘stop us all’.

To put it simply, the ‘Raid Area 51, they can’t stop us all’ is one of the most hilarious conspiracy theories to happen in the recent history of conspiracy theories. The raid demonstrates the power of social media as a tool to draw people together and empower the masses. Although not many people arrived at the event, the fact that 2 million had registered an interest is highly significant.

Typically, it can be assumed that in society, for the most part, people go with the status quo and there isn’t much defiance against the government. Nonetheless, one key lesson that can be learnt from the Area 51 raid is the power of unity. Together we are stronger; perhaps if we provided a united front to some issues we won’t be ignored. As university students it can be easy for us to be trapped in our own individual bubble. As ironic as it may sound on a campus of over 20,000 people, many suffer from immense loneliness. However, Area 51 reminds us of how people can come together with a common goal.

Nonetheless, the military’s preparation for the attack also adds to the comedic effect of the Area 51 raid. There overestimation on how many people would arrive is indeed extremely ridiculous. Some individuals raised other theories that the military was there not to prevent people from going in but from coming out; implying that the rest of the world is Area 51 and we the aliens. I have a less far-fetched theory; I believe that the reason the government’s response was so intense was because, whilst they won’t admit it, they were aware that we the masses have the all the power. It’s clear that the biggest fear of those in authority is a united front. It is comforting to see that, in society, people aren’t afraid to question things for themselves and especially aren’t afraid to challenge the government.

To conclude, whilst ‘Storm Area 51, they can’t stop us all’ did not go as planned, it did highlight that working together can be a powerful weapon and suggests that perhaps ‘they can’t stop us all’.