Editing Modern flat Earth beliefs (section)

==Internet-era resurgence==
In November 2017 "more than five hundred people ... paid as much as $249 each to attend "the first-ever Flat Earth Conference", in a suburb of [[Raleigh, North Carolina]], U.S.<ref name="Burdick-Looking-2018">{{cite magazine  |last1=Burdick |first1=Alan |title=Looking for Life on a Flat Earth |magazine=The New Yorker |date=30 May 2018 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/looking-for-life-on-a-flat-earth |access-date=29 July 2023 |language=en |issn=0028-792X}}</ref><ref name="DAWSON-1-25-2018">{{cite news |last1=DAWSON |first1=DURRELL |last2=PILGRIM |first2=EVA |last3=McCARTHY |first3=KELLY |title=Inside Flat Earth International Conference, where everyone believes Earth isn't round |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/inside-flat-earth-international-conference-believes-earth-round/story?id=52580041 |access-date=29 July 2023 |agency=ABC News |date=25 January 2018}}</ref>  According to a 2018 YouGov opinion poll, "just 66% of [[millennials]] firmly believe" that the earth is round,<ref name="Nguyen-YouGov">{{cite web |last1=Nguyen |first1=Hoang |title=Most flat earthers consider themselves very religious |url=https://today.yougov.com/topics/society/articles-reports/2018/04/02/most-flat-earthers-consider-themselves-religious |website=YouGov |access-date=31 July 2023 |date=2 April 2018}}</ref> with celebrities (rapper [[B.o.B.]],<ref name="LUI">{{cite magazine |last1=LUI |first1=KEVIN |title=Rapper B.o.B. Has Started a GoFundMe Campaign to Prove That the Earth Is Flat |url=https://time.com/4956840/bob-rapper-flat-earth-gofundme/ |magazine=TIME |access-date=31 July 2023 |date=26 September 2017}}</ref> basketball players [[Kyrie Irving]], [[Wilson Chandler]], [[Draymond Green]])<ref name="EARLYWINE-2017">{{cite news |last1=EARLYWINE |first1=AARON |title=Why athletes are drawn to the flat earth theory |url=https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2017/03/28/flat-earth-theory |access-date=31 July 2023 |agency=SI |date=28 March 2017}}</ref> advocating for flatness.

===Sociological explanations for counterfactual beliefs===
[[File:Modern Day Debate - Aron Ra vs Nathan Thompson flat earth debate (2020).webm|300px|right|thumb|A popular 2020 YouTube debate about the Flat Earth concept, between science advocate and atheist activist [[Aron Ra]] and flat-earther Nathan Thompson]]
In the [[Information Age]], the availability of communications technology and social media such as [[YouTube]], [[Facebook]]<ref>{{cite web|last1=Abbott|first1=Erica|title=Mark Zuckerberg Banning All Flat Earth Groups from Facebook Is A Hoax|url=http://www.business2community.com/facebook/mark-zuckerberg-banning-flat-earth-groups-facebook-hoax-01890594|website=Business2community.com|publisher=Business2community|access-date=19 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819231354/http://www.business2community.com/facebook/mark-zuckerberg-banning-flat-earth-groups-facebook-hoax-01890594|archive-date=19 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Twitter]] have made it easy for individuals, famous<ref>{{cite web|url=http://people.com/celebrity/flat-earth-celebrities-world-not-round/|last1=Heigl|first1=Alex|title=The Short List of Famous People Who Think the Earth Is Flat (Yes, Really)|work=People|access-date=19 August 2017}}</ref> or not, to spread disinformation and attract others to erroneous ideas. One of the topics that has flourished in this environment is that of the flat Earth.<ref name = Ambrose>{{cite web|last1=Ambrose|first1=Graham|title=These Coloradans say Earth is flat. And gravity's a hoax. Now, they're being persecuted.|url=http://www.denverpost.com/2017/07/07/colorado-earth-flat-gravity-hoax/|work=The Denver Post|access-date=19 August 2017|date=7 July 2017}}</ref><ref name= Dure>{{cite news|last1=Dure|first1=Beau|title=Flat-Earthers are back: 'It's almost like the beginning of a new religion'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jan/20/flat-earth-believers-youtube-videos-conspiracy-theorists|newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=19 August 2017|date=20 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Herreria|first1=Carla|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson Cites Celebrity Flat-Earthers To Make A Point About Politics|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/neil-degrasse-tyson-flat-earth-pop-stars-flawed_us_58faa373e4b06b9cb91719ad|work=HuffPost|access-date=19 August 2017|date=22 April 2017}}</ref>
These sites have made it easier for like-minded theorists to connect with one another and mutually reinforce their beliefs. Social media has had a "levelling effect", in that experts have less sway in the public mind than they used to.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sarner|first=Moya|date=30 August 2019|title=The rise of the Flat Earthers|url=https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/the-rise-of-the-flat-earthers/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531220119/https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/the-rise-of-the-flat-earthers/|archive-date=31 May 2021|access-date=17 January 2020|website=Science Focus – BBC Focus Magazine|language=en}}</ref>

YouTube has faced criticism for allowing the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories through its platform, specifically, flat Earth.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Paolillo |first=John C. |year=2018 |title=The Flat Earth phenomenon on YouTube |journal=[[First Monday (journal)|First Monday]] |volume=23 |issue=12 |doi=10.5210/fm.v23i12.8251 |doi-access=free |quote=[FROM ABSTRACT:] Flat Earth discourse sometimes crosses into other public discourse, but YouTube remains singularly important in promoting Flat Earth belief and encouraging development of its supporting arguments. The videos at the source of this stir are highly ambiguous. I argue that this phenomenon represents fusion of multiple influences unique to YouTube, including conspiracy theory, climate change denial, science documentaries, clickbait, viral videos, trolling, Russian propaganda, and young-Earth religious fundamentalism. The phenomenon cannot be properly understood without recognizing the distinct contribution of all of these elements. }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Landrum |first1=Asheley R. |last2=Olshansky |first2=Alex |last3=Richards |first3=Othello |year=2021 |title=Differential susceptibility to misleading flat earth arguments on youtube |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/15213269.2019.1669461 |journal=Media Psychology |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=136–165 |doi=10.1080/15213269.2019.1669461 |quote=[FROM ABSTRACT:] YouTube has been influential in propagating Flat Earth Ideology, but not everyone is equally susceptible to the effects of watching these videos. In an experiment with a participant pool restricted to regular YouTube users, we found that lower science intelligence and higher conspiracy mentality increase individuals’ susceptibility to flat Earth arguments on YouTube. |hdl=2346/87627 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |people=Marco Silva, Asheley Landrum, Guillaume Chaslot, Michael Marshall |date=February 23, 2022 |title=Flat Earth: How did YouTube help spread a conspiracy theory? |medium=Internet video |url=https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p07h3yc0/flat-earth-how-did-youtube-help-spread-a-conspiracy-theory- |access-date=January 5, 2025 |publisher=[[BBC]] }}</ref> In 2019, YouTube stated that it was making changes in its software to reduce the distribution of videos based on conspiracy theories including flat Earth.<ref name="YouTubeCrackdown">{{cite news|last=Yurieff|first=Kaya|date=25 January 2019|title=YouTube says it will crack down on recommending conspiracy videos|work=[[CNN]] |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/25/tech/youtube-conspiracy-video-recommendations/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=17 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511144529/https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/25/tech/youtube-conspiracy-video-recommendations/index.html|archive-date=11 May 2021}}</ref><ref name="YouTube converted people">{{cite news|date=18 July 2019|title=How YouTube converted people to flat Earth|language=en|work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-49021903/flat-earth-how-did-youtube-help-spread-a-conspiracy-theory|url-status=live|access-date=17 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606164653if_/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-49021903|archive-date=6 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="Picheta">{{cite news|author=Rob Picheta|date=18 November 2019|title=The flat earth conspiracy is spreading around the globe. Does it hide a darker core?|work=[[CNN]] |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/16/us/flat-earth-conference-conspiracy-theories-scli-intl/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=17 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327051500/https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/16/us/flat-earth-conference-conspiracy-theories-scli-intl/index.html|archive-date=27 March 2021}}</ref> Professor Asheley Landrum<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asheleylandrum.com/ |title=Asheley R. Landrum |publication-date=2024 |publisher=Asheley Landrum |access-date=January 5, 2025 }}</ref> "called on scientists themselves to fight back by using YouTube as a platform to communicate their own work. "We don't want YouTube to be full of videos saying here are all these reasons the Earth is flat," she said. "We need other videos saying here's why those reasons aren't real and here's a bunch of ways you can research it for yourself.""<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnet.com/science/youtube-to-blame-for-rise-in-flat-earthers-says-study/ |title=YouTube to blame for rise in flat Earth believers, says study |author=Mark Serrels |publication-date=February 17, 2019 |publisher=[[CNET]] |access-date=January 5, 2025 }}</ref>

In the documentary ''[[Behind the Curve]]'' (2018)<ref>{{cite web |title=Behind the Curve |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ_zDG6zL58 |website=YouTube |access-date=31 July 2023 |date=2018}}</ref> (which follows prominent modern flat-Earthers including [[Mark Sargent (flat Earth proponent)|Mark Sargent]] and Patricia Steere, as well as astrophysicists and psychologists who attempt to explain the growing fad),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/03/behind-the-curve-a-fascinating-study-of-reality-challenged-beliefs/|title=Behind the Curve a fascinating study of reality-challenged beliefs|last=Timmer|first=John|date=17 March 2019|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us|access-date=13 April 2019}}</ref> professor of psychiatry Joe Pierre offers as explanations: the  [[Dunning-Kruger effect]] (the phenomenon whereby ignorance in a given field makes people unable to recognize their own ignorance or lack of ability in that field); misunderstandings of simple observation; pseudoscientific practices which fail to separate reliable from unreliable conclusions; and a progressive divergence from reality that starts with a belief that conventional information sources and the government cannot be trusted.<ref>starting around 27 minutes, 
{{cite web |title=Behind the Curve |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ_zDG6zL58 |website=YouTube |access-date=31 July 2023 |date=2018}}</ref>

Out of the necessity to explain photographs of the earth in space, the observations of astronauts, why all major institutions such as governments, media outlets, schools, scientists, and airlines assert that the world is a sphere, etc., modern flat-Earthers very commonly embrace some form of conspiracy theory.  As Darryle Marble, a speaker at the Flat Earth Conference, told his audience, after watching hours of YouTube conspiracy videos on [[Sandy Hook]], [[9/11 conspiracy theories|9/11]], [[false flags]], the [[Bilderberg Meeting#Conspiracy theories|Bilderbergers]], [[Rothschild family#Conspiracy theories|Rothschilds]], [[New World Order (conspiracy theory)#Illuminati|Illuminati]] – "Each thing started to make that much more sense.  I was already primed to receive the whole flat-Earth idea, because we had already come to the conclusion that we were being deceived about so many other things. So of course they would lie to us about this."<ref name="Burdick-Looking-2018"/>

Conspiracy belief is often intertwined with [[Biblical literalism|conservative Christian belief]]. According to internet influencer Rob Skiba, "the ultimate motivation" of the (alleged) conspiracy of a round earth in space, "many of us have come to believe, is hiding God." Reading the Bible, "when you break down the text of what it represents, there's no way you can get a spinning heliocentric globe out of anything in the Bible."<ref name="DAWSON-1-25-2018"/> (According to author Alan Burdick, "in style and substance, the flat-Earth movement is a close cousin of creationism.")<ref name="Burdick-Looking-2018"/>

They tend to not trust observations they have not made themselves, and often distrust or disagree with each other.<ref name="takes">{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2017/10/28/what-does-take-believe-world-flat/0gdgl2JMPhBpgJK5mGXPkI/story.html |title=What does it take to believe the world is flat? |date=28 October 2017 |first=Courtney|last=Humphries|website=[[The Boston Globe]] }}</ref> Patricia Steere admitted in ''Behind the Curve'' that she wouldn't believe an event like the [[Boston Marathon bombing]] was real unless she had gotten her own leg blown off. Flat Earth believers in the documentary also professed belief in conspiracy theories about [[anti-vax|vaccines]], [[GMO conspiracy theories|genetically modified organisms]], [[chemtrails]], [[9/11 conspiracy theories|9/11]], and [[transgender]] people; some said dinosaurs and evolution were also fake, and that [[heliocentrism]] is a form of [[Sun worship]].

The scientific experts in ''Behind the Curve'' pointed to [[confirmation bias]] as a way to maintain a counterfactual belief, by cherry-picking only supporting evidence, and dismissing any disconfirming evidence as part of the purported global conspiracy.<ref>around 30 minutes and 49 minutes</ref>

Some flat Earth believers, such as authors Zen Garcia and Edward Hendrie, cite the Christian Bible as evidence. Some critics of the flat Earth idea, such as astronomer Danny R. Faulkner, are [[young Earth creationists]] and attempt to explain away the Bible's supposed flat Earth language.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Branch |first=Glenn |authorlink=Glenn Branch |date=July–August 2020 |title=Flat-Earthery Will Get You Nowhere |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2020/06/flat-earthery-will-get-you-nowhere/ |url-status= |magazine=[[Skeptical Inquirer]] |location=Amherst, New York |publisher=[[Center for Inquiry]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003202205/https://skepticalinquirer.org/2020/06/flat-earthery-will-get-you-nowhere/ |archive-date=3 October 2020 |access-date=24 March 2021}}</ref>

On 3 May 2018, [[Steven Novella]] analysed the modern belief in a flat Earth, and concluded that, despite what most people think about the subject, the believers are being sincere in their belief that the Earth is flat, and are not "just saying that to wind us up". He stated that:
{{Blockquote|text= In the end that is the core malfunction of the flat-earthers, and the modern populist rejection of expertise in general. It is a horrifically simplistic view of the world that ignores (partly out of ignorance, and partly out of [[motivated reasoning]]) to{{sic}} real complexities of our civilisation. It is ultimately lazy, childish, and self-indulgent, resulting in a profound level of ignorance drowning in motivated reasoning.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Novella|first1=Steven|author-link1=Steven Novella|title=What the Flat-Earth Movement Tells Us|url=https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/what-the-flat-earth-movement-tells-us/|website=TheNess.com|publisher=NESS|access-date=5 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505031721/https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/what-the-flat-earth-movement-tells-us/|archive-date=5 May 2018|date=3 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

The British sceptical activist [[Michael Marshall (skeptic)|Michael Marshall]] attended the annual Flat Earth UK Convention on 27–29 April 2018 and noted disagreement on several views among believers in a flat Earth. To Marshall, one of the most telling moments at the convention was the "Flat Earth Addiction" test that was based on a checklist used to determine whether someone is in a [[cult]], without the convention attendees realising the possibility of themselves being in a cult.<ref name=Marshall2018conference/>

===Beliefs===
Based on the speakers at the 2018 UK's Flat Earth UK Convention, believers in a flat Earth vary widely in their views. While most agree upon a disc-shaped Earth, some are convinced the Earth is diamond-shaped. Furthermore, while most believers do not believe in [[outer space]] and none believe humans have ever travelled there, they vary widely in their views of the universe.<ref name=Marshall2018conference>{{cite news |last1=Marshall |first1=Michael|author-link1=Michael Marshall (skeptic) |title=The universe is an egg and the moon isn't real: notes from a Flat Earth conference |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2018/may/02/the-universe-is-an-egg-and-the-moon-isnt-real-notes-from-a-flat-earth-conference |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=16 September 2018|date=2 May 2018}}</ref> (Flat Earth International Conferences, organized by Robbie Davidson, are unaffiliated with the Flat Earth Society. According to Davidson, the "Earth is ... a stationary plane, with the sun, moon, and stars inside a dome", while the Flat Earth Society promotes a model in which Earth is "a disk flying through space", and which Davidson finds "incredibly ridiculous".)<ref name="Burdick-Looking-2018"/>

Filmmakers of ''Behind the Curve'' attended another flat Earth conference at which a substantial number of people believed the Earth was an infinite plane, potentially with more continents beyond the purported circular ice wall of Antarctica. 
Members of the Flat Earth Society and other flat-Earthers claim that NASA and other government agencies conspire to fabricate evidence that the Earth is spherical.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Wolchover|first=Natalie|date=30 May 2017|title=Are Flat-Earthers Being Serious?|url=https://www.livescience.com/24310-flat-earth-belief.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508235829/https://www.livescience.com/24310-flat-earth-belief.html|archive-date=8 May 2021|access-date=17 January 2019|website=Live Science}}</ref> According to the most widely spread version of current flat-Earth theory, NASA is guarding the Antarctic ice wall that surrounds Earth.<ref name=":1" /> Flat-Earthers argue that NASA [[Photo manipulation|manipulates]] and fabricates its [[Satellite imagery|satellite images]], based on observations that the color of the oceans changes from image to image and that continents seem to be in different places.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Moshakis|first=Alex|date=2018-05-27|title=Is the Earth flat? Meet the people questioning science|language=en-GB|work=The Observer|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/may/27/is-the-earth-pancake-flat-among-the-flat-earthers-conspiracy-theories-fake-news|url-status=live|access-date=2019-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308185255/https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/may/27/is-the-earth-pancake-flat-among-the-flat-earthers-conspiracy-theories-fake-news|archive-date=8 March 2021|issn=0029-7712}}</ref> The publicly perpetuated image is kept up through a large-scale practice of "compartmentalization", according to which only a select number of individuals have knowledge about the truth.<ref name="Burdick-Looking-2018"/>

Research by Carlos Diaz Ruiz and Tomas Nilsson on the arguments that flat Earthers wield, shows three factions, each one subscribing to its own set of beliefs.<ref name="sagepub">{{Cite journal |last1=Diaz Ruiz |first1=Carlos |last2=Nilsson |first2=Tomas |date=16 May 2022 |title=Disinformation and Echo Chambers: How Disinformation Circulates in Social Media Through Identity-Driven Controversies |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/07439156221103852 |journal=Journal of Public Policy & Marketing |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=18–35 |doi=10.1177/07439156221103852 |s2cid=248934562}}</ref>
 
The first faction subscribes to a faith-based conflict in which atheists use science to suppress the Christian faith. Their argument is that atheists use pseudo-science – evolution, [[Big Bang]], and the round Earth – to make people believe that God is an abstract idea, not real. Instead, their arguments use the Scripture – word-by-word – to support an argument that enables God to really exist. This faction frames flat-Earth arguments as revelatory.<ref name="sagepub"/> (For example, a literal interpretation of [[Revelation 7]] --  "I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth ..."—indicates the earth must have four corners.) This is in spite of the fact that a circular flat earth would also not have corners, contradicting the central model of flat earth. This contradiction seems to imply that God created a 2D quadrilateral or 3D tetrahedral earth. 

The second faction believes in an overarching conspiracy for knowledge suppression. Building upon the premise that knowledge is power, the flat Earth conspiracy argues that a shadowy group of "elites" control knowledge to remain in power. In their view, lying about the fundamental nature of the Earth primes the population to believe a host of other conspiracies. This faction frames flat-Earth arguments as liberatory.<ref name="sagepub"/>

The third faction believes that knowledge is personal and experiential. They are dismissive of knowledge that comes from authoritative sources, especially book knowledge. This faction would like to find out themselves whether the Earth truly is round or flat. Because they distrust book knowledge and mathematical proof, this faction believes that the Earth is flat because their observations and lived experiences make it appear that the Earth is a flat surface. This faction frames flat-Earth arguments as experimental.<ref name="sagepub"/>

Fellow flat earthers are not exempt from distrust and belief that they may be in cahoots with round earthers. In ''Behind the Curve'', conference attendees were warned against attending by Math Powerland, also known as Matt Boylan, who posted videos alleging others were working for the CIA or Warner Brothers. At the 2017 Flat Earth conference:

{{blockquote|[S]everal speakers made reference to "shills" within the community, people purporting to espouse the theory but who in fact belong to some deep-state counterintelligence program aimed at making the movement seem laughable. In 2016, [Eric Dubay], of the "200 Proofs" video, called out [[Mark Sargent (flat Earth proponent)|Mark Sargent]], Jeran Campanella, and other figures as "suspected controlled opposition shills," and last year in a radio interview he called the November conference a "shill-fest." Even the flat-Earth bureaucracy is suspect. At the end of the conference's second day, a panelist mentioned a plan to set up a nonprofit to carry on the work. This brought a rebuke from a woman in the audience. "You had me up until I heard the gentleman say, 'The reason we had to scramble to get the [[501(c)(3)]],{{' "}} she said. "In my research, I found out that's a [[Lucifer]]ian contract."<ref name="Burdick-Looking-2018"/>}}

===Social and experimental activities of skeptics and believers===
[[Skeptical movement|Organisations sceptical of fringe beliefs]] have occasionally performed tests to demonstrate the local curvature of the Earth. One of these, conducted by members of the Independent Investigations Group of the [[Center for Inquiry]], at the [[Salton Sea]] on 10 June 2018 was attended also by supporters of a flat Earth, and the encounter between the two groups was recorded by the [[National Geographic Explorer]]. This experiment successfully demonstrated the curvature of the Earth via the disappearance over distance of boat-based and shore-based targets. IIG founder Jim Underdown reported that the flat Earth supporters in attendance immediately rejected the results, denying the validity of the demonstration after the fact, and the discussion degenerated into tangents about [[Moon landing conspiracy theories]] and alleged NASA cover-ups.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Underdown |first1=James |author-link1=James Underdown |title=Commentary: The Salton Sea Flat Earth Test: When Skeptics Meet Deniers |journal=[[Skeptical Inquirer]] |date=2018 |volume=42 |issue=6 |pages=14–15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Underdown |first1=Jim |author-link1=James Underdown |title=The Salton Sea Flat Earth Test: When Skeptics Meet Deniers |url=https://www.csicop.org/si/show/the_salton_sea_flat_earth_test_when_skeptics_meet_deniers |website=CSICOP.org |publisher=CFI |access-date=24 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224135255/https://www.csicop.org/si/show/the_salton_sea_flat_earth_test_when_skeptics_meet_deniers |archive-date=24 February 2019|url-status=live|date=November 2018 }}</ref>

The 2018 documentary ''Behind the Curve'' followed two groups of American flat Earth believers who were attempting to gather first-hand empirical proof for that belief. One group from the YouTube show GlobeBusters used a [[ring laser gyroscope]] in an attempt to show the Earth was not rotating. Instead, they detected the actual 15-degree-per-hour rotation of the Earth, a measurement they dismissed as corrupted by the device somehow picking up the rotation of the "[[firmament]]". Another group used lasers in an attempt to show a several-mile stretch of water is perfectly flat by measuring the distance between the water level and the laser beam along three vertical posts. They were unable to align the beam as they expected to because the surface of the still water was in fact bent by several feet over the distance measured; the experiment was dismissed as inconclusive.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ_zDG6zL58 |title=Behind the Curve |date=2018-12-16 |last=YouTube Movies |access-date=2025-05-15 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

''Behind the Curve'' illustrated how flat Earth believers rely on poorly-verified claims. Mark Sargent claimed to have watched [[flightaware.com]] for a very long time to check if any flights traveled between continents in the Southern Hemisphere, which in his disc model would be much further apart than they are on the globe. He stated that he saw no such flights, and took this as evidence for the disc model. Caltech astrophysicist Hannalore Gerling-Dunsmore went to the site and immediately found flights that contradicted Sargent's claims.<ref>starting at around 11 minutes. {{cite web |title=Behind the Curve |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ_zDG6zL58 |website=YouTube |access-date=31 July 2023 |date=2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://flightaware.com/ |access-date=11 Feb 2022 |title=Real-time Worldwide Flight Traffic}} (Gerling-Dunsmore's claims were verified on this date at 03:30 UTC, though not all flights were visible when fully zoomed out - a possible source of confusion.)</ref>

The [[solar eclipse of 21 August 2017]] gave rise to numerous YouTube videos purporting to show how the details of the eclipse prove the Earth is flat.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Sean|title='The sun hologram needs updating' This is how flat earthers explain the solar eclipse|url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/841400/solar-eclipse-flat-earth-conspiracy-theory-reddit|work=Daily Express|access-date=19 August 2017|date=15 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hickey|first1=Brian|title=What do flat Earthers think about Monday's solar eclipse?|url=http://www.phillyvoice.com/ask-hickey-what-are-flat-earthers-saying-about-mondays-eclipse/|website=Phillyvoice.com|publisher=Philly Voice|access-date=19 August 2017|date=17 August 2017}}</ref>

In 2017, "the Tunisian and Arab scientific and educational world" had a scandal when a Ph.D. student at the [[University of Sfax]] in [[Tunisia]] submitted a [[University of Sfax#Flat Earth controversy|Ph.D. dissertation]] "declaring Earth to be flat, unmoving, young (only 13,500 years of age), and the centre of the universe".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Guessoum|first1=Nidhal|title=PhD thesis: The earth is flat|url=http://gulfnews.com/opinion/thinkers/phd-thesis-the-earth-is-flat-1.2009202|work=Gulf News|date=10 April 2017 |access-date=19 August 2017}}</ref>  In 2018, astronomer [[Yaël Nazé]] analyzed the controversy over the dissertation.  The dissertation, which had not been approved by the committee overseeing environmental studies theses, had been made public and denounced in 2017 by Hafedh Ateb, a founder of the Tunisian Astronomical Society, on his Facebook page.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nazé |first1=Yaël |author-link=Yaël Nazé |title=A Doctoral Dissertation on a Geocentric Flat Earth: 'Zetetic' Astronomy at the University Level |journal=Skeptical Inquirer |date=2018 |volume=42 |issue=3 |pages=12–14}}</ref>

In March 2019, social media personality [[Logan Paul]] released a satirical documentary film about the flat Earth called ''FLAT EARTH: To The Edge And Back''.<ref>{{Citation|last=Logan |first=Paul |title=Flat Earth: To The Edge And Back (Official Movie)|date=20 March 2019|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpljiOgd9RQ| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/vpljiOgd9RQ| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|access-date=1 July 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/22/18277131/logan-paul-flat-earth-conspiracy-youtube-recommendation-algorithm|title=Logan Paul's satirical flat Earth doc gets to the heart of YouTube's recommendation issue|last=Alexander|first=Julia|date=22 March 2019|website=The Verge|access-date=1 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mashable.com/article/logan-paul-doesnt-actually-think-the-earth-is-flat-movie/|title=Good news everyone, Logan Paul doesn't actually think the Earth is flat|last=Sung|first=Morgan|website=Mashable|date=21 March 2019|language=en|access-date=1 July 2019}}</ref>

On December 14, 2024, retired businessman and pastor Will Duffy paid to bring believers in the concept of a flat earth to [[Union Glacier Camp]] in Antarctica for them to witness day-long illumination. While his guests had to concede they witnessed the midnight sun in Antarctica, not all of them accepted on the spot that the Earth is a sphere.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.iflscience.com/flat-earthers-travel-to-antarctica-to-test-theories-but-are-quickly-humbled-77254 |title=Flat-Earthers Travel To Antarctica To Test Theories, But Are Quickly Humbled |author=Tom Hale |publication-date=December 17, 2024 |publisher=[[LabX Media Group|IFLScience]] |access-date=January 6, 2025 |quote=While most of the Flat Earthers didn’t consider the experience definitive proof that the Earth is spherical, they accepted the existence of the 24-hour Sun in Antarctica – a phenomenon that poses significant challenges for most of their flat Earth theories. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/flat-earthers-befuddled-visit-antarctica-191030416.html |title=Flat Earthers Befuddled as They Visit Antarctica and Earth Appears to Be Round |author=Noor Al-Sibai |publication-date=December 18, 2024 |publisher=[[Yahoo News|Yahoo! News]] |access-date=January 6, 2025 |quote=After a pastor took a group of Flat Earthers to Antarctica to prove definitively what shape our planet is, some of the truthers were startled to find that the globe is indeed round. (...) While the trip did seem to persuade at least one prominent Flat Earther that his beliefs were wrong, another of the conspiracy-theorizing Arctic voyagers was less convinced. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/space/sometimes-you-are-wrong-flat-earthers-admit-defeat-after-seeing-24hour-antarctica-sun/news-story/0bc1d6b85396c04e163ba1a1b5b7bb21 |title=‘Sometimes you are wrong’: Flat earthers admit defeat after seeing 24-hour Antarctica sun |author=Frank Chung |publication-date=December 19, 2024 |publisher=[[News.com.au]] |access-date=January 6, 2025 |quote=A group of popular flat earth YouTubers have admitted defeat against the ‘globers’ after taking a trip to Antarctica to witness the 24-hour sun. (...) No flat earthers had ever been to Antarctica — a popular conspiracy theory was that the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 prevented them from going, specifically in summer, lest they discover the truth. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/flat-earthers-went-to-antarctica-to-look-at-the-sun-heres-what-happened |title=Flat Earthers Went to Antarctica to Look at The Sun. Here's What Happened. |author=Mike McRae |publication-date=December 20, 2024 |publisher=[[ScienceAlert]] |access-date=January 6, 2025 |quote=In a surprise conclusion to a project dubbed The Final Experiment, several well-known believers in a non-spherical Earth have had a change of heart. (...) Belief formation is a complex task for human brains, though, combining experiences shared by those we trust with a dusting of our own perceptions to construct personal stories that don't just explain what we see, but fit with what we value.<br>As an exercise in trust-building and a demonstration of the value in putting our firmest convictions to the test when given a chance, Duffy's 'Final Experiment' ought to be anything but final.}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://baptistnews.com/article/when-flat-earthers-and-creationists-find-common-ground/ |title=When flat earthers and creationists find common ground |author=Rick Pidcock |publication-date=December 29, 2024 |publisher=[[Baptist News Global]] |access-date=January 6, 2024 |quote=It was hyped as “The Final Experiment.” Led by pastor Will Duffy of Agape Kingdom Fellowship in Wheat Ridge, Colo., a group of people who believed in a flat earth and others who believed in a global earth traveled to Union Glacier, Antarctica, together on Dec. 14 with the desire “to end the debate over the shape of the earth.” (...) Of course, the easy response here would be to get a good laugh out of flat earthers grappling with their model being proved wrong and then feel thankful for Duffy and whoever has been promoting him putting on the event. But a closer look at who is promoting the experiment provides a much more complex set of concerns. (...) In this holiday season, many of us are gathering with family members who have drastically different scientific, political or theological views than us. Those differences cannot be ignored, nor the consequences minimized.<br>But despite the fact I personally think everyone involved in this “Final Experiment” has significant scientific, political and theological problems, there was something deeply human in their togetherness that is worth noting. (...) }}</ref>

==== Mike Hughes ====
{{Main|Mike Hughes (daredevil)}}
[[Mike Hughes (daredevil)|Mike Hughes]], a daredevil/stuntman, planned to use a homebuilt crewed rocket to reach outer space.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/flat-earther-mad-mike-hughes-rocket-launch-man-blasts-off-a8272761.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220515/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/flat-earther-mad-mike-hughes-rocket-launch-man-blasts-off-a8272761.html |archive-date=15 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Flat-earther blasts off in homemade rocket in bid to reassure himself world is shaped 'like a Frisbee'|date=25 March 2018|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=8 December 2018}}</ref>
In a practice flight on 22 February 2020, the early deployment and separation of the return parachute allowed his rocket to fall unimpeded from an altitude of several hundred feet, killing him instantly.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sciencealert.com/infamous-flat-earth-daredevil-dies-in-crash-in-california|title=Infamous Daredevil 'Mad' Mike Hughes Has Died in Homemade Rocket Crash in California|website=ScienceAlert|date=23 February 2020 |language=en-gb|access-date=23 February 2020}}</ref>

After Hughes' death, his public relations representative Darren Shuster stated that Hughes "didn't believe in flat Earth" and that it was "a PR stunt" to get publicity,<ref>{{cite news |last=Steadman |first=Otillia |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/otilliasteadman/mad-mike-hughes-rocket-death-flat-earth |title=A Daredevil Flat Earther Died After Attempting To Launch Himself 5,000 Feet With A Homemade Rocket |date=24 February 2020 |work=BuzzFeed News |access-date=13 August 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ortiz |first=Aimee |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/23/us/mad-mike-hughes-dead.html |title=Mike Hughes, 64, D.I.Y. Daredevil, Is Killed in Rocket Crash |date=23 February 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=13 August 2021 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> while Michael Linn, who worked on the documentary ''Rocketman: Mad Mike's Mission to Prove the Flat-Earth'', said that Hughes' belief appeared genuine.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wigglesworth |first=Alex |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-24/mad-mike-hughes-death-of-rocketman-ends-years-of-close-calls |title=Death of rocket man 'Mad Mike' Hughes ends years of close calls |date=24 February 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=13 August 2021 |language=en-US |issn=2165-1736}}</ref>

===Social consequences and responses===
''Behind the Curve''{{'}}s filmmakers spoke with several people who said that as a result of their flat Earth beliefs they had lost romantic partners and no longer spoke to many friends and family. One said he was tired of being told he was an idiot. The Facebook group Flat Earth Match is a dating site used by some to find romantic partners who share these beliefs. Experts pointed out that after social ties to people outside the flat Earth community are lost, one consequence of abandoning the flat Earth belief would be loss of all remaining relationships.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Caltech physicist Spiros Michaelakis stated that instead of denigrating flat Earthers, scientists should do a better job of teaching scientific facts. Various scientific and medical experts in the documentary supported improving [[scientific literacy]] and avoiding marginalization of flat Earthers. They pointed out that people who distrust all of science, including truths about vaccines, evolution, and climate change, would make poorly informed-decisions, and that people who do not exercise the skill of [[critical thinking]] can be easily manipulated. They also pointed out that some believers were motivated to spread false ideas, and that because they are unconstrained by facts they can mutate and become less harmless than a mere belief about the shape of the Earth.<ref>''[[Behind the Curve]]'', starting around 1 hour, 8 minutes</ref>

=== Prevalence ===
In 2020, it was reported that based on polling by Datafolha, 7% of Brazilians believed in a flat Earth.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brazil |first=Rachel |date=2020-07-14 |title=Fighting flat-Earth theory |url=https://physicsworld.com/fighting-flat-earth-theory/ |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=Physics World |language=en-GB}}</ref> A 2018 YouGov poll found that around 4% of the population of the United States believed in flat Earth,<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 February 2018 |title=Do you believe that the world is round or flat? |url=https://today.yougov.com/opi/live_survey_results/6147e107-0a97-11e8-b216-d9ff14e72543/question/cecf46a6-0a97-11e8-bd7b-c532039a14a0/toplines/ |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=YouGov}}</ref> while the POLES 2021 Survey found around 10% of the United States population believed that the Earth is flat.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-21 |title=Conspiracy vs. Science: A Survey of U.S. Public Beliefs |url=https://carsey.unh.edu/publication/conspiracy-vs-science-survey-us-public-beliefs |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=Carsey School of Public Policy |language=en}}</ref> A 2019 YouGov survey found that around 3% of British people supported flat Earth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Which science-based conspiracy theories do Britons believe? {{!}} YouGov |url=https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/22839-which-science-based-conspiracy-theories-do-britons |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=yougov.co.uk |language=en-gb}}</ref>