Nelson’s Mandela’s year of death has been disputed for many years. Many people are confused as to when the former South African President died. Some people say he died in prison in the 1980’s whereas others say he died more recently, in 2013. The latter is the actual year, but many are still persistent in their belief. People claimed they saw news clips of his funeral on TV and thought there was widespread mourning in South Africa coupled with rioting in cities. Since then, this fact has been tarnished by the news of his actual death in 2013. It has been concluded that all the publicity because of his ‘death’ could have been an elaborate hoax which people took seriously. It is a heavy realization as thousands were caught up in the mysterious misunderstanding.
The Confusion
If anyone gets convinced that they remember something in a particular way only to discover they got it all wrong, they have experienced the phenomenon known as Mandela effect. This form of collective misremembering of common facts and public events first emerged in 2010, when countless people on the internet falsely remembered that Nelson Mandela was dead. This false remembrance was widely popularized after many strongly claimed that Nelson Mandela died several years prior, while imprisoned. In reality, Mandela was released in 1990 and passed away in 2013, despite people claiming they remember clips of his funeral. It is highly possible that thousands of people shared their false memories online and collectively believed them to be true, thus resulting in the internet phenomenon.
Paranormal consultant, Fiona Broome coined the term “Mandela effect” to explain this collective misremembering. She explains the effect through pseudoscientific theories. She claims that the differences between actual reality and false reality arise from the movement between parallel dimensions. This is based on the theory that within each universe, alternative versions of events and objects exist. Other bizarre theories claim that memory distortions happen because of changes in history caused by time travelers or spiritual attacks linked to witchcraft. Although these theories appear appealing, they are not scientifically provable.
What Experts Say
Scientist describe the disconnect between memories and reality as a confabulation. The term confabulation describes a distortion of memory, which can result in the production of fabricated or misinterpreted memories, even despite contradictory evidence to the fact. It may not be purposefully happening and can be associated with brain damage. A logical explanation for the phenomenon was proposed by neuroscientist, Caitlin Aamodt. She theorized that humans have a tendency to believe what others suggest to be true, which is a psychological inclination. It is not astonishing why the Mandela effect has spread like wildfire in the jungle of the internet. Dr. John Paul Garrison, a clinical and forensic psychologist, propounded that memories could be automatically created after being exposed to information on the Mandela effect. He explained that the existence of some memories seems like forever, but in reality they are newly created memories.
The Conclusion
Frequently reported errors can become part of collective reality. The internet can reinforce this process by circulating false information. The majority of Mandela effects are attributable to memory errors and social misinformation. The fact that many inaccuracies are trivial suggests it may result from selective attention or faulty interpretation. This doesn’t mean conspiracy theories have to be rejected. The idea of a parallel universe is consistent with the works of quantum physicists. But until the existence of alternative realities is proved, psychological theories seem more plausible.