I’ve written in the past about how it’s healthy to be skeptical of “experts” and not to just blindly go along with their pronouncements. They have an area of expertise, sure, but if, say, a doctor leverages that expertise to discuss the ethics of abortion or gun ownership, they’re going outside that sphere.

There is another opposite danger, though — that of people instinctually rejecting everything the “experts” say in favor of the skeptics. In effect, they are making the skeptics their new experts. This is often worse than relying on the former group, since at least the old experts have a proven sphere of expertise and are held accountable to a much higher degree than anonymous social media accounts.

This dynamic is playing out currently with information on the Hurricane Helene response.

There are countless claims that the state government, the federal government, the media, and many other responsible parties have been completely absent in response to the storm, leaving critical tasks like search and rescue or accurate reporting to a ragtag band of citizen volunteers.

These claims, presented with anecdotal (if any) evidence, may provide comfort to some, as they give answers in a chaotic environment. But they are also adding distress and confusion for many others who are already overwhelmed by the tragedy.

Even more worrying than posts claiming negligence are major influencers claiming powerful forces caused the storm with weather-control techniques and are blocking help from entering distressed areas in order to affect the upcoming election, to punish conservative Southerners, or to control quartz or lithium mines. These posts get thousands of shares, often by people who you assume would know better.

But what you notice about these new experts is they do not source their information. The old media experts have their issues, and a discerning mind is needed when reading their stories, especially around framing and story selection. But there are at least some professional standards.

In one post (which currently has almost 3 million views and that concerned acquaintances have contacted me about), a person with a large following said he heard through a friend (who heard from another friend) that there was a secret meeting in the town of Chimney Rock, where the federal government told citizens they were going to take over all their properties, demolish their homes, and leave the dead to rot, all because the government wants the lithium nearby.

Many believe this is the real untold truth that the experts and officials are hiding. Now millions are sharing posts about lithium near Chimney Rock. But what lithium? If they scratched an inch below the surface, they’d learn that the only lithium mines in North Carolina are closer to Charlotte than Asheville — in Cleveland and Gaston counties.

Initially, the conspiracies centered more on quartz operations in the town of Spruce Pine, which at least exist, but then the towns and minerals got jumbled in later versions, as more passed on the information in a game of internet (which is much less accurate than even the old game telephone).

If you’re familiar with North Carolina, you know I’m not just being nitpicky — Kings Mountain and Belmont (where these lithium mines are) are at least 1.5 hours away from Spruce Pine and Chimney Rock (which are probably about the same distance from each other). None of them are really close enough to justify federal troops including them in a land grab.

Someone involved with lithium operations in the state told me they traced the likely source of the theory back to the video below (which calls Asheville “Ashland” and otherwise appears ignorant of basic facts about North Carolina):

These are mostly just fringe online influencers, spreading rumors they think will bring them “audience engagement.” It’d be nice if we didn’t have to pay attention to them. But, sadly, many otherwise-normal people believe there is something to these theories because some online personality they follow shared it. Kevin Corbin, a Republican state senator representing many of the affected counties, took to social media to ask for people to please stop with the wild theorizing.

It’s true that federal, state, and local officials have told volunteers not to do things like fly helicopters or drones in certain airspace without going through official channels. They’ve also prevented people from going in and out of buildings in areas experiencing looting or that are potentially dangerous. It’s chaos, and probably in some cases they made the wrong call. But let’s give them a little benefit of the doubt. They’re first responders who want the best for their neighbors and who are doing their best to maintain order, not part of some deep-state conspiracy.

So, even though I at times disagree with the framing of events and the choice of stories from mainstream news sources, my recommendation for anyone who wants to learn more about what’s happening is to start with professional journalists over online rumors.

Reuters says that this was a 5,000-year storm and that the federal government is coordinating a response that includes Army National Guard units from multiple states, disaster workers from federal agencies, charity workers, and volunteers — which is a lot to manage. They also report that they’ve already saved many hundreds and are continuing to work around the clock to find more. Believe these sources over the random Twitter account that says it was a government-controlled weather event to sway the election and steal precious minerals.

And then, with these basic facts absorbed, close the computer and find a way to help. If you fell for a few of these bizarre theories, don’t feel bad. It happens to the best of us. Use it as a lesson on how to find better sources of information during the next major event. But, as the kids say, it might also be time to get offline for a while and “touch grass.”