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-   -   Merged: The MANDELA Effect. (https://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307882)

esspee 6th June 2016 02:24 PM

The MANDELA Effect.
 
I am sure anyone reading this is aware of the 'Mandela effect'.



I think it is real.

But i do not think it is real in the way people say that it is.




This is what I think it is, when you distill down all of the explanations:

The effect of a perception of history that is at odds with the persons present.


No one can deny that this is experienced by many people in differing degrees.




The recent up-spike in this effect, IMO, is down to one thing.

Information saturation.

We have the same capacity minds as our ancestors.
But the information we take in in our lifetimes or per year has been rising exponentially since around victorian times.


As with all exponential things, we are now processing more information (via media and internet etc) than the last generation by magnitudes.

We are each now processing more information this year than last year. And so it continues.

I think we are approaching a breaking point. The Mandela Effects people report are the first glimpse of this.
Our minds are beginning to take in more information than they can cope with and something has to give


Our minds, being unable to cope, are shelving a lot of information about the past, or saving it 'compressed', and instead relying on re-creating many details and memories of history on the fly, and occasionally getting these details wrong.


This is the real Mandela Effect IMO, and if I am right, as information consumption only grows, instances of it will increase in the population.
And the severity of these instances will increase until it potentially becomes a real problem for society.

Nay_Sayer 6th June 2016 02:28 PM

I see no merit in this, Just people mis-remembering things.

Sherman Bay 6th June 2016 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nay_Sayer (Post 11318659)
I see no merit in this, Just people mis-remembering things.

Plus confabulations.

William Parcher 6th June 2016 02:57 PM

I went to look for "Mandela effect" on Wikipedia and it goes straight to Confabulation.

esspee, please give your own detailed definition or link to one. What do you mean by Mandela Effect?

esspee 6th June 2016 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Parcher (Post 11318703)
I went to look for "Mandela effect" on Wikipedia and it goes straight to Confabulation.

esspee, please give your own detailed definition or link to one. What do you mean by Mandela Effect?

The name comes from the fact that a few years back, before Mandela died, many people thought he had.

Other notable examples are people remembering Jaws girlfriend in Moonraker ( a bond film) as having braces.


I'll go check for some decent links, or a decent video.

There are many many really stupid videos about it, as it has become somewhat of a conspiracy meme.
Popular explanations range from 'timeline shifts' to ' government mind control experiments using subliminal techniques in media to alter memories' to "parallel worlds"
You name it, lots of crazy explanations abound.

I will see if i can find a good introduction video that is not just plain stupid.

esspee 6th June 2016 03:14 PM

Okay - this seems like a reasonably sober overview video.

Its an interesting topic if you like conspiracy theories and paranomal type stuff.

i find all of the different explanations fascinating. It says something about how people think if nothing else

I hope you enjoyed my personal explanation for it in my OP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6x0ErYV1tE

Nay_Sayer 6th June 2016 03:17 PM

I'll help Esspee, A common example people use is the Berenstain Bears books, They insist the books used to be spelled Berenstein.

However this and others are as previously stated confabulation, In the case of film Mandela effects often there are alternate versions that contribute to this.

esspee 6th June 2016 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nay_Sayer (Post 11318737)
I'll help Esspee, A common example people use is the Berenstain Bears books, They insist the books used to be spelled Berenstein.

However this and others are as previously stated confabulation, In the case of film Mandela effects often there are alternate versions that contribute to this.

Do you think confabulation is on the rise?
Or is it just that because of social media more people are talking about it and have given it a name?

What do you think about my theory that it is on the increase, and that is due to the sheer amount of data/info we take in in modern life?

William Parcher 6th June 2016 03:38 PM

I refuse to watch a video (take no offense esspee). I want a detailed written definition of the Mandela Effect.

Does a definition exist that can be linked to?

esspee 6th June 2016 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Parcher (Post 11318768)
I refuse to watch a video (take no offense esspee). I want a detailed written definition of the Mandela Effect.

Does a definition exist that can be linked to?


I guess the problem is there are so many explanations.

examples of some common ones i have not mentioned :

Cern LHC
Dream Telepathy
An invented meme to distract the masses and lead them into confusion

etc etc.

i will see if i can find a good and simple link to explain it concisely

fuelair 6th June 2016 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nay_Sayer (Post 11318737)
I'll help Esspee, A common example people use is the Berenstain Bears books, They insist the books used to be spelled Berenstein.

However this and others are as previously stated confabulation, In the case of film Mandela effects often there are alternate versions that contribute to this.

I know Berenstain so am not affected or effected by this. And, I remember both Nelson and Winnie. Winnie was a major *******, Nelson was not (except to the bad guys)!!!!!!!!

fuelair 6th June 2016 03:47 PM

This is, by my standards, safe and somewhat informative and I suspect the founder of the feast has seen it: https://www.buzzfeed.com/perpetua/ma...xk#.gbdE2la6bB

It should not take long to see why I think that.

abaddon 6th June 2016 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Parcher (Post 11318768)
I refuse to watch a video (take no offense esspee). I want a detailed written definition of the Mandela Effect.

Does a definition exist that can be linked to?

Nope. It is a buzz topic on various crank sites, but even they do not agree a definition. Effectively, it is an attempt to create a conspiracy ex nihilo.

Go to the David Icke site and you will find that the reptilians are engaged in a struggle with the aid of the pleiadians to control earth in spite of the nordics.

It's all fantasy baloney. Really, nobody in their right mind should entertain such nonsense for a moment, but it gets really entertaining when the inevitable woo fights break out.

My imaginary alien trumps your imaginary alien is a discussion which must be seen to be believed. Truth be told, I am most tempted to place some of our incumbents in each other's paths just to see what happens.

esspee 6th June 2016 03:55 PM

In reply to WIlliam Parcher

Okay - could not find a good short one.

here is a good long one instead https://www.exposingtruth.com/lookin...andela-effect/


Essentially it defies tight definition, as the explanations of it are very diverse.

Its a meme that has been around for a while, but in the last few months has really taken off.

Its kind of like the flat earth idea.
Not to be a hipster, but that theory was doing the rounds on the down low online a good few years agoe, and i read up about it in great detail.
Then recently it just took hold in a big way online.

This Mandela effect thing is similar - in that it has been bubbling away for a good few years, but lately has exploded. At least on youtube it has anyway.

Leftus 6th June 2016 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Parcher (Post 11318768)
I refuse to watch a video (take no offense esspee). I want a detailed written definition of the Mandela Effect.

Does a definition exist that can be linked to?

http://mandelaeffect.com/about/
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-mandela-effect

In short, a bunch of people remembered that Nelson Mandela died in prison. Since their memories are factually incorrect, and rather than admit they are wrong, it's clear and convincing evidence that they are recalling events that took place in an alternate universe.

esspee 6th June 2016 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leftus (Post 11318806)
http://mandelaeffect.com/about/
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-mandela-effect

In short, a bunch of people remembered that Nelson Mandela died in prison. Since their memories are factually incorrect, and rather than admit they are wrong, it's clear and convincing evidence that they are recalling events that took place in an alternate universe.

This is a pretty good explanation.

Rather than question their own perception, many people invent or subscribe to some very far fetched and out there concepts.

People do not like to feel lost, it is human nature, any lifeboat will do in some cases.


But its not just parallel universes given as expanation for the Mandela Effect .
Proof of the Matrix, Reincarnation, these and many others are alternative explanations that it seems are favourable to admitting ones perception is faulty
- I believe because to do so is quite scary for most people, if not all people.

Gord_in_Toronto 6th June 2016 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuelair (Post 11318783)
I know Berenstain so am not affected or effected by this. And, I remember both Nelson and Winnie. Winnie was a major *******, Nelson was not (except to the bad guys)!!!!!!!!

Bear stain? Like in the Charmin TV commercials? I don't think they exist and nothing you can show or tell me will change my mind. :p

William Parcher 6th June 2016 04:23 PM

Mandela Effect: You think you are correct about something but you are wrong.

Also, you may guess about something thinking that your guess is correct but you are wrong.

Is that a definition?

esspee 6th June 2016 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Parcher (Post 11318852)
Mandela Effect: You think you are correct about something but you are wrong.

Also, you may guess about something thinking that your guess is correct but you are wrong.

Is that a definition?

Yes.

But it can be a very unsettling and disorienting experience.

William Parcher 6th June 2016 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by esspee (Post 11318866)
Yes.

But it can be a very unsettling and disorienting experience.

You're just talking about how people feel when they find out that they are wrong. It happens to people constantly.

What is special about this topic?

esspee 6th June 2016 04:37 PM

Interesting data here

https://www.google.com/trends/explor...ndela%20effect

abaddon 6th June 2016 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by esspee (Post 11318885)

Interesting perhaps. Not for the reasons you might think.

esspee 6th June 2016 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaddon (Post 11318890)
Interesting perhaps. Not for the reasons you might think.

You have my attention, please expand.


p.s did you also notice is a mostly USA Canada and UK thing?

Unlike say "Flat Earth" which is spread over much more countries

Leftus 6th June 2016 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Parcher (Post 11318852)
Mandela Effect: You think you are correct about something but you are wrong.

Also, you may guess about something thinking that your guess is correct but you are wrong.

Is that a definition?

You are correct about something but the universe is wrong.

Those who support the Mandela Effect do not entertain the thought that their memory is incorrect.

Foolmewunz 6th June 2016 09:34 PM

In the one article I read, from a link you provided, the conclusion is sadly missing the obvious explanation.

The pop examples he uses, like "Luke, I am your father" and "Mirror Mirror on the wall" do not come from necessarily faulty memories, but from altering our memories based on constant repetition. The wrong lines have been so often cited that they become the memory. The fallibility of memory has been tested and pretty definitely proven.

"Play it again, Sam" was mis-quoted so often that there's even a movie title by that name, and thousands of celebrity imitators repeated it over several decades.

How many decades ago did one see "Snow White"? As opposed to how many times per decade did one see someone mis-quoting the line from the movie?

abaddon 6th June 2016 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by esspee (Post 11318919)
You have my attention, please expand.


p.s did you also notice is a mostly USA Canada and UK thing?

Unlike say "Flat Earth" which is spread over much more countries

Sort of.

It does seem to be a phenomenon of the english speaking christian world.

Could it be rampant in, say, China? I have no idea.

esspee 7th June 2016 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaddon (Post 11319326)
Sort of.

It does seem to be a phenomenon of the english speaking christian world.

Could it be rampant in, say, China? I have no idea.

I meant more so than usual.

Scroll down to regional interest part.

then compare it with ' flat earth' regional interest part. https://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=flat%20earth

Ladewig 7th June 2016 03:29 AM

It doesn't help that there are entire industries designed to change people's memories.

And There is no shortage of examples. I heard of a guy who is convinced that US television showed US Muslims celebrating the destruction of the WTC in 2001. Nothing can shake him of that belief.


And as for information speed and the variety of media used today, I shudder to think what Marshall McLuhan would say if he were resurrected to witness 2016. Has Alvin Toeffler been commenting on what kind of things are happening today? I came across the phrase "data smog" while reading up on topics related to this thread, I like it.

Hlafordlaes 7th June 2016 04:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladewig (Post 11319537)
It doesn't help that there are entire industries designed to change people's memories.

And There is no shortage of examples. I heard of a guy who is convinced that US television showed US Muslims celebrating the destruction of the WTC in 2001. Nothing can shake him of that belief.


And as for information speed and the variety of media used today, I shudder to think what Marshall McLuhan would say if he were resurrected to witness 2016. Has Alvin Toeffler been commenting on what kind of things are happening today? I came across the phrase "data smog" while reading up on topics related to this thread, I like it.

What I think is partly in play is excessive confirmation of bias, to the point that it nullifies the wisdom of the crowd. People on the whole, averaged out, can be fairly wise, but once they have access to a loudmouth, opinions tend to cluster and go stupid. Welcome to the internet and social media.

esspee 7th June 2016 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hlafordlaes (Post 11319568)
What I think is partly in play is excessive confirmation of bias, to the point that it nullifies the wisdom of the crowd. People on the whole, averaged out, can be fairly wise, but once they have access to a loudmouth, opinions tend to cluster and go stupid. Welcome to the internet and social media.

The ENTIRE internet is basically a confirmation bias machine.

Just look how much twitter alone has ********** the world up!

Gord_in_Toronto 7th June 2016 12:22 PM

This thread has suddenly transported me back to the sixties

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.
I AGREE


At least I think it did.

Checkmite 8th June 2016 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Parcher (Post 11318852)
Mandela Effect: You think you are correct about something but you are wrong.

Well no; in absolute fairness, not quite. A person remembering something one way when the reality was different itself doesn't constitute an instance of the so-called "Mandela Effect"; it's the number of people who make the same exact error. It wasn't just one person or a handful of people who thought they remembered that Nelson Mandela had died in prison, or that the book characters were specifically named the "Berenstein" rather than the "Berenstain" Bears; it's substantially large numbers of people who misremember it that way - ostensibly thousands.

Numbers like that suggest a commonality of cause - the confabulation is not random, but rather some particular thing or event is likely responsible for causing so many people to mis-remember a particular historical fact in a particular way. Obviously we're talking about something quite mundane here and I'm sure that a serious and motivated investigation of any instance of the "Mandela Effect" could likely uncover the causes or reasonable explanations of that particular instance.

My (perhaps incorrect) understanding is, whoever originally put forward the theory of people having "swapped realities at some point" to explain this phenomenon had done so with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but then the internet happened.

GT/CS 8th June 2016 04:41 AM

I think the question is whether the effect is getting worse due to Information overload. Can our brains accurately store this much information, or does a lot of it get jumbled together, or is it just because there is so much misinformation in the media and on the Internet?

Nay_Sayer 8th June 2016 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by esspee (Post 11319649)
The ENTIRE internet is basically a confirmation bias machine.

Just look how much twitter alone has ********** the world up!

Agreed. going back to my Berenstain example there is a youtube video where someone shows a TV listing for the Cartoon base doff the book and it says Berenstein. Obviously this is just a typo but it feeds into it.

Pterodactyl 9th June 2016 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nay_Sayer (Post 11322347)
Agreed. going back to my Berenstain example there is a youtube video where someone shows a TV listing for the Cartoon base doff the book and it says Berenstein. Obviously this is just a typo but it feeds into it.

I literally had to go look in my kids' play room to see how it was spelled after your earlier post. There it was in black and white (well, blue and green actually). I had believed it to be "Berenstein" pretty much my entire life.

Graham2001 10th June 2016 06:00 AM

For those who want to watch a video, here is the League of Nerds take on this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAffZAJlviI

Skeptics with a K has also discussed this, but not sure which episode it was...

Bram Kaandorp 10th June 2016 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham2001 (Post 11325945)
For those who want to watch a video, here is the League of Nerds take on this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAffZAJlviI

Skeptics with a K has also discussed this, but not sure which episode it was...

I found the episode:

Skeptics with a K episode 155

Graham2001 10th June 2016 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bram Kaandorp (Post 11326033)
I found the episode:

Skeptics with a K episode 155

Thanks for finding it.

Kid Eager 10th June 2016 09:38 PM

Never heard of the Mandela Effect. From its description, the mis-remembering of things has been around forever and some clown has simply rebadged such mis-remembering.

Much ado about nothing.

Alice Shortcake 11th June 2016 02:01 AM

Perhaps people remember the name Berenstein because it's more common than Berenstain, so the latter somehow doesn't look right. For decades I was convinced that the actress Miriam Margolyes' surname was Margoyles.


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