Yet, as with all claims of mysterious phenomenon, hoaxes abound. From hubcaps thrown through the air to a man-made saucer suspended from fishing line, faked UFO photos have always been part of this subculture. Today, getting a photo or video to “go viral” on the web and generate buzz often seems to be a goal. Those just a little bit skilled in photo manipulation software or computer graphical interface animation can produce hoaxes that will get Internet mileage. The jig is typically up in short order when debunkers pick it apart. The mysterious photograph with a fun story is still regular fodder for local news and social media. While MUFON representatives are still asked to comment on UFO sightings in the media, the research and investigation of such claims in the real world is difficult and unglamorous.
Decades ago, grainy NASA photos were interpreted as a “face on Mars” by mystery-mongering commentators. Today, the technology-based, armchair researcher is provided with ample anomaly fodder due to the availability of high-resolution photos from NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover. Those with an abundance of free time and motivation meticulously scan the robot’s photos searching for any rock, shadow, or glitch that looks suspiciously like bones, animals, or some remnant of life. They have spotted interesting mineral formations, weathering features and marks left by the robot itself but no alien selfie has emerged. Major news outlets pick up these stories thanks to social media and they become what passes for news in the 21st century. No journalism is necessary. Debunkers also have handy investigatory tools—the Internet can provide a researcher with maps of the land and sky, exact timing and pathways of civilian aircraft, photos, and info about military prototypes being tested, weather conditions, and meteor or space debris confirmations.
A decent UFO photograph can be created by using household items or equipment parts such as this cap used to hold a spare tire. The size of the object is irrelevant as scale and distance aspects are lost in the resulting photograph. Photographs by Kenny Biddle.
Website revenue from ads, book sales, personal appearances, and television spots allows some to make very good money from the UFO industry. But these riches pale in comparison to those made by media production companies who have mined the UFO mythology.
Alien TV
Ufology was brought directly to the public via books, self-published journals, magazines and conferences, TV, and movies. Radio provided the earliest boost to flying saucer popularity to be followed by stories in men’s magazines like True, Fate, and Amazing Stories which coincided with the science popularization in the 1950s. Discussion about the portrayal of aliens in movies would be a whole other book but was, undoubtedly, the most powerful influence on people’s perception of the reality of aliens and UFOs as extraterrestrial craft—how they looked and behaved. The contactee movement was influenced by the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still. The rise of the big-eyed, spindly-appendaged, gray alien followed in the wake of television depictions and Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The “grays,” as with the hairy ape-man Bigfoot and the transparent floating ghost, are inescapable pop cultural media icons.
Interest in UFOs and aliens swelled thanks to television. TV shows like In Search Of… (1976–1982), Unsolved Mysteries (1987–2002), Project U.F.O. (fiction based on Project Blue Book, 1978–79) and The X-Files (fiction, 1993–2002, 2016) were instrumental in sowing interest in mystery about UFOs, Men in Black, alien visitation, and abductions of people and vehicles.
A related concept of pseudo-archaeology postulated that alien civilizations visiting Earth must have had a hand in building the pyramids and other ancient wonders. Authors like Erich von Daniken who promoted extraterrestrial influence on human history were and still are tremendously popular with the public. The History Channel took advantage of this interest with the show Ancient Aliens that used nonscientists as professional-looking talking heads spouting speculative fiction that sounded convincing to those who knew nothing of ancient history. Pseudo-archaeology is a growing platform for non-experts. Several flavors of Biblical literalism and New Age pseudohistories appear in movies, books making inroads with the public ideas about human history.
The TV show Chasing UFOs, which aired on the National Geographic channel in 2012, attempted to capitalize on the popularity of the ghost- and Bigfoot-chaser programs by constructing a purposefully diverse team of ufologists. The show failed and was even criticized by its stars before it was cancelled. It was not compelling television to wait for things to appear in the sky or to chase after something that does. As frequently occurs with media portrayal of investigators, the individuals had stereotypical and exaggerated roles—the tech person, the token female, etc. Drama is heightened (and manufactured). Paranormal reality TV shows are designed as entertainment for the curious, not science documentaries to discover truths. If the tempo is too slow it will be sped up by giving “reality” a boost.
6
Twenty-first Century ARIGs
Paranormal Technology and Gadgets
Use of technology is a common thread through ARIG subject areas. ARIGs will state that better technology is needed to help them pin down definitive evidence. Technology and science remain inextricably linked in the public eye. The historical use of gadgets and electronics in ARIGs’ fields, particularly ghost hunting, came very early in the modern age (related to the invisible propagation of electricity and radio waves), and was enhanced by the Atomic and Space Ages when science was directly associated with impressive and advanced machinery. In the public eye, scientific observation is inseparable from use of technical equipment. Devices promote an image of objectivity (Thurs 2007). There seems to be an unstated importance in showing elaborate apparatus as part of portraying “science” (Beveridge 1957; Toumey 1996).
In the 21st century, impressively high-tech equipment is within the price reach of many amateurs. Today’s Bigfooter has a FLIR camera and the UFO hunters can get access to databases over their smart phones. GPS provides precise location information. Digital cameras can be installed all over a house as well as on game trails. Today’s ARIGs even use motion-sensing video game controllers and remote-control drones and robots. Mainstream science rejects the premise that this investment in equipment advances knowledge about paranormal topics.
The iconic ghost hunter has gadgets with which to locate spirit energy or communicate with the dead. In attempting to answer where this gadget affinity came from, I found suggestions ranging from Harry Price in the early 1900s to Ghostbusters in the late 1900s to Ghost Hunters in the 2000s. In fact, communication with spirits was a theme that arose almost immediately upon invention of the telegraph, photographic camera, the radio, and the phonograph. Ghostly activity adapted to modernity and can be captured by telephone, answering machines, mobile phones, televisions, and audio and video recording devices, both analog and digital. The key is electricity. Jeffrey Sconce’s Haunted Media (2000) walks the reader through the relationship between electronic media and American culture from the beginning of social awareness about electricity, to reaction to the telegraph, radio and television. Sconce says (p. 202) “electronic media have always indulged the fantasy of discorporation and the hope that the human soul, consciousness, or subject could exist independently of his or her material frame.”
A typical carrying case of ghost-hunting equipment. Items include cameras, EMF meters, infrared temperature meters, digital audio recorders, and motion sensors. Photograph by Kenny Biddle.
The seeds of modern ghost hunting gadgets (like EMF meters and electronic transcommunication devices) were obvious in the 1850s. Ghost/ARIGs of today are drawn to electronics the same as the spiritualists and psychical researchers at the beginning of the modern age were to gadgets and apparatus. Early on, electricity was believed to be a mystical and divining substance that animated the body and soul (Sconce 2000). The telegraph and radio sent a signal without a body to deliver it. They transcended space and cut down time. Perhaps, many speculated, humans could create devices to reach the spirits of the dead, those “beyond” time and
space. It’s hard to imagine that at the time (1844), the telegraph was astonishing to the public. How could people so far apart speak as if together? Four years later, the Fox Sisters could communicate via knocks to the spirits. Sconces says this link between Spiritualism and the new technology was no coincidence in time. People believed the dead spirits were not gone but out there somewhere. The “ether” was alive with spirits or messages from others and we might finally devise the gizmo that could capture them. Spirit voices perhaps moved through the ether just like electricity and radio waves. Thomas Edison attempted to invent an apparatus that would capture transmissions and allow the living to hear voices of the dead. Though he was America’s top technology inventor, the telephone to the dead was not forthcoming. Curiously, it was also common thinking at the time when radio or “wireless” became popular that similar broadcasts from beings from outside Earth could be captured (Sconce 2000). As technology enabled humans to reach across vast distances, there seemed a reasonable possibility discussed at the time that we could reach those that had passed to some other plane of existence. The promise that gadgets can prove life beyond death continues to the present time.
Tinkering with and mastering gadgetry comes naturally to many. It has been suggested that some enjoy technology-based activities as symbolic compensation for a lack of power or mastery in other areas (emotional and social) of their lives (Kleif & Faulkner 2003). Ghost/ARIGs tend to lean heavily on their equipment, embellishing and promoting their “techknowledgy” (Sconce 2000) which suggests that this compensation is occurring in some ghost seekers, but not all as more paranormal investigators have given up on finding spirits through ghost tech gadgets. “The use of tools in the field … has seemingly clouded the minds of those who are attempting to verify anomalous phenomena through them. Many people think that the mere use of these tools is science and having anomalous readings with them serves as evidence of the paranormal.”1
Gadgetry related to ghost hunting was greatly enhanced by Harry Price, as described in Chapter 2. But the full uniform of ghost hunters with their array of electronics reached its apex with Ghostbusters (1984) where frustrated scientists achieved fame and scholarly prominence by saving New York City from an infestation of psychic energy. ARIGs may not deliberately be imitating characters in a fictional movie but the comparisons between real life ghost hunters and fictional ones do suggest the movie has been influential.
ARIGs sometimes lament the cost of expensive equipment because, they note, they have no funding sources like established scientific programs do. Some do attempt to gain their own television shows, win contests or solicit private investments or sponsorships to account for some funding. Such income will be rare. But the need for having equipment, especially the most modern versions, seems deeply embedded with the idea of any paranormal investigating. Reliance on equipment by ARIGs and the obsessive need for some ARIG participants to have the latest and greatest technology has created a niche paranormal investigation market directed towards ARIGs. Advertisements for these companies are sometimes found on the ARIG web sites. There are “ghost hunter” stores selling specialized gadgets as seen on the TV shows. At least one, Ghost Stop, branched out to include a UFO Stop store. While cryptid hunters typically utilize little in the way of special equipment beyond camping and photographic gear, there are novelty products such as Bigfoot callers.
Advocates of devices and sciencey equipment consider the apparatus as objective and a “faithful register” of facts (Harvey 2013). Eyewitness accounts or artists’ renditions, such as those of the ubiquitous sea serpents, were not enough to authenticate the phenomena. If they can’t get physical proof, some sort of image, video, sound, or environmental signal is desired. However, 21st century technology is astounding—we can detect subatomic particles, planets outside our solar system, and decode DNA—but our technological capabilities have not been successful in confirming consciousness after death, haunting phenomena, strange lights in the sky or mysterious animals that have remained hidden to our eyes.
ARIGs on the Web
The idea of community was changed because of the Internet. The lowered cost and greater availability of computers and Internet connectivity in the 21st century allowed people sitting at home to instantly access information and connect with those of similar interests and ideas. A mega-portion of the world’s knowledge is at our fingertips and we can speak to others across the globe in real time. This amazing technology was essential for the explosion of interest in the paranormal (and, likewise, skepticism and criticism of paranormal claims). It is near-impossible to imagine life before the Internet. How did these niche interest groups communicate and stay organized pre–Web? They had homemade newsletters, journals (usually a low-budget affair) and written communication. Flyers were hung up at libraries, grocery stores or community centers. Sweeping changes brought by the Internet led directly to the ARIGs of modern times. Paranormal culture effectively utilized the web from the beginning (Edwards 2001). Local ARIGs first recruited new people and gained clients through web sites like Craigslist and online forums. ARIGs adapted and organized themselves to participate in the fast-changing Internet-dependent culture. The prevalence of free websites and index lists of paranormal groups increased the recognition of ARIGs in society, adding to their social acceptability, and made it far easier and discrete to report strange phenomena. There was an investigation team right in your physical or virtual neighborhood. What used to be rather inaccessible is now a part of mainstream pop culture. It’s never been easier to engage in paranormal research and investigation.
The relative privacy afforded by the Internet to research and consume related media for free allows ARIG participants to obtain considerable information while avoiding public exposure of their non-orthodox interests. Many ARIG websites routinely include instruction for how to undertake a paranormal investigation. Without any gatekeepers or editors to temper the approach, the ARIG attitude towards investigation is boundless. Characteristics of elusive entities are presented as factual and it’s not uncommon to find information on protection against harmful spirits, demons, and aggressive beasts, though, as far as we know, no one has been killed by a ghost, demonic entities, Bigfoot, or an alien during an investigation. Or ever.
ARIG websites were a target of mockery from those with skeptical views due to their style and content. Many still are visually annoying or downright unreadable due to dark background, bright or flashing text (in red or green, tiny and gigantic), with moving image files, auto-play music or videos, and a general array of truly terrible web design. Even though professionally designed websites are more common now, many sites remain carelessly constructed with amateurish presentations of ideas and concepts, improper grammar, poor spelling, lack of punctuation and capitalization, and heavy use of idioms and slang. Sites regularly contain broken web links or sections that were empty or incomplete. The “results” sections of the sites frequently contained placeholders for further information that was not available but dated years before. With the exception of a few professionally designed sites, the majority of sites surveyed in 2010 were amateurish. ARIG websites nearly universally contained certain standard pages entitled “About,” “Mission,” “Evidence,” “Equipment” and “Contact Us” and information about procedures and methodology, team members, and general paranormal subject information. Several sites had a space for introductory information about the subject area (e.g., “What Is Bigfoot” or “Ghosts 101”). Whereas scientific sites would commonly display abundant reference citations, this practice is rarely used by ARIG sites. Instead, multiple examples of copied and pasted information was on dozens of the same sites without attribution. Academic or scholarly science or historical references were virtually nonexistent.
ARIGs solicited new members on the Internet. Interest and enthusiasm, technical skills, and public relations are the main qualities solicited. Notably, scientific training or experience was not solicited. At the time of my study, no group seeking new members spe
cifically requested science qualifications. Later, when I discovered a group asking for science experience, I answered the request. The ARIG leader told me I was the first person who applied with actual science credentials. Not many scholars or working scientists pay heed to paranormal topics, even in their own communities where ARIGs are active.
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