Swedish hospitality falls victim to online misinformation

A lot of people don’t like Sweden. Or rather, many may have time to spare and a little help from people and groups who want to harm Sweden. In just a few days, a bizarre post on his Reddit about the Swede not serving dinner to his guests became an internet phenomenon, although there is no research to back it up. Other countries can learn a lesson from the enigmatic Swedengate and how easily disinformation spreads. Even if there is no malicious party behind it, it is simply gullible.

“What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to do in someone else’s house because of your culture or religion?” A recent Reddit poster Asked May.Another user wrote, “I remember going to a Swedish friend’s house and as we were playing in his room, his mom yelled out that dinner was ready. And check this out he told me to wait in his room while they were eating that shit was insanely wild soon this comment was posted on Reddit Twitter , went viral on Instagram.People start commenting on how strange and unhospitable Swedes are.One Instagram post added map This shows how stingy Nordic people are, with Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and parts of northern Germany marking the hideous dark red.

‘Swedengate’ quickly became a hot topic, moving to traditional media and newspapers enthusiastically reporting on previously unknown aspects of Swedish culture. “A Swedish child sits at the dinner table and his friends and their friends’ parents are eating meatballs, mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce. There is no plate of new york times report. “This environment, which is so common in Sweden and other Nordic countries, has terrified people all over the world. I was shocked to learn that I would not invite you to dinner with me.”

A lot of people don’t like Sweden. Or rather, many may have time to spare and a little help from people and groups who want to harm Sweden. In just a few days, a bizarre post on his Reddit about the Swede not serving dinner to his guests became an internet phenomenon, although there is no research to back it up. Other countries can learn a lesson from the enigmatic Swedengate and how easily disinformation spreads. Even if there is no malicious party behind it, it is simply gullible.

“What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to do in someone else’s house because of your culture or religion?” A recent Reddit poster Asked May.Another user wrote, “I remember going to a Swedish friend’s house and as we were playing in his room, his mom yelled out that dinner was ready. And check this out he told me to wait in his room while they were eating that shit was insanely wild soon this comment was posted on Reddit Twitter , went viral on Instagram.People start commenting on how strange and unhospitable Swedes are.One Instagram post added map This shows how stingy Nordic people are, with Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and parts of northern Germany marking the hideous dark red.

‘Swedengate’ quickly became a hot topic, moving to traditional media and newspapers enthusiastically reporting on previously unknown aspects of Swedish culture. “A Swedish child sits at the dinner table and his friends and their friends’ parents are eating meatballs, mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce. There is no plate of new york times report. “This environment, which is so common in Sweden and other Nordic countries, has terrified people all over the world. I was shocked to learn that I would not invite you to dinner with me.”

The case also provided an opportunity for editorial contributions. in England, independence, a Swede named Linda Johansson, who is neither a reporter nor a sociologist but runs an Etsy shop, said: what happened? ” She provided no data documenting this questionable practice.

Unfortunately, new york times It forgot to investigate whether social media posters’ claims were actually true, and instead relied on unverified sources such as tweets by pop star Zara Larsson. I’m a general assignment reporter based in New York City and have no Swedish expertise.) In fact, no studies show that Swedes don’t serve dinner to their guests more often than others.

Numerous social media posters claimed to have experienced being left out at dinner, but countless Swedes were embarrassed by the claim. (As it is now well known, just because there are allegations on social media doesn’t mean they have to be true.) Like any Swede, when I visit friends and acquaintances I have never received food from And without scientific documentation of the practice, it would be hard to conclude from various social media allegations that not serving guests meals is a national practice, for example, as former President Donald Trump did in 2020. As credible as claiming to have won an election. Someone said so on YouTube.

Many Swedes tried to carry out a cryptic campaign on the chin. “Enjoyed the thread r/Ask Vulcans Greeks, Bulgarians and Turks put their genocide dreams aside and conclude that the Swedes are very strange,” said one Reddit user. Tonight my neighbor’s 5 year old came here to have dinner with me after playing with my 5 year old and now I know it was a mistake.Me next I have to stay in the children’s room.” asked another. [Russian President Vladimir] Is Putin going to use this as a pretext for aggression? “It all started with a fellow who was not given dinner…”

Then it got weird because social media accounts that seemed to belong to real people began complaining that the Swedes not only failed to serve their guests, but were also racist. Food posts have taken a darker turn. That’s when some analysts started to worry. After all, Sweden has just begun the process of her NATO accession, frustrating a country with a history of turning domestic tensions into prey to information warfare. invent them Overall.

“A seemingly harmless thread on Reddit went viral and turned into a campaign of hate and intimidation as Sweden was called racist,” said a Swedish communications consultant who specializes in disinformation and misinformation. Anton Riff summed it up. “This could be part of the general public discourse, and while it may be amusing to some, it can also be exploited by hostile groups and nations. [of] viral phenomenon. And this kind of media phenomenon can benefit various parties. Sweden’s new Psychological Defense Agency investigated the incident and determined that the campaign was not instigated by a hostile state. )

Swedengate is just the latest example of a defamation campaign targeting Sweden. Reddit posts may have started as harmless fun, but were quickly taken over by people who had no qualms about spreading and inflating rumors by adding new, unconfirmed information or outright falsehoods. rice field. Strategists in places like Moscow and Beijing can let the stupidity and laziness of social media users do the work.As highlighted in a recent article foreign policySweden became the target of a disinformation campaign that claimed Swedish social services had kidnapped Muslim children. Like Gate, it offered no evidence to support its claims. did.

But even if it’s more likely the result of random nonsense than targeted criticism, Swedengate should encourage some self-examination among those who shared the content. One of the first viral spreaders turned out to be a repeat sharer of propaganda and junk in general. Beijing or Moscow likely aren’t paying for the posters, but they’re certainly not reliable sources. was found to be related to Admitted“I admit that the research that was done was not very professional. It could be, but of course it’s not necessarily true.”

People posting various complaints about Sweden clearly have a right to do so, but Swedengate is a sad story about the damage unverified claims can cause. Which country, organization, or person will be targeted next? It can be any country, any organization, or any person. Think and verify. Weird stories are more than just fun.