OK, this one has to be a troll.
A new image going viral on social media claims to be a diagram showing the inner workings of a 5G chip that’s been inserted into coronavirus vaccines—part of a longstanding online conspiracy theory.
Here in Italy people started to share this figure claiming that this is the diagram of the 5G chip that has been inserted in the covid vaccine.
In reality it is the electric circuit of a guitar pedal and I believe that putting it in the covid vaccine has been an excellent idea💡 pic.twitter.com/qXKnv7VVly
— Mario Fusco 🇪🇺 (@mariofusco) December 28, 2020
However, what the image actually shows is a circuit board for a guitar pedal.
A Boss Metal Zone guitar pedal, to be exact.
Coronavirus misinformation is nothing new on the internet. Even the weird (and false!) claims that 5G technology causes COVID-19 have become so commonplace on social media that major platforms have had to take action against these specific conspiracies.
However, this latest coronavirus 5G conspiracy theory really takes the cake. It’s so over-the-top it truly comes off like a joke.
The image took off on social media when user Mario Fusco shared it in a tweet, saying that the conspiracy is being shared in Italy. The link in his screenshot points to an anonymous self-publishing platform, Telegraph. Attempts to find a source elsewhere were unsuccessful. However, the r/guitarpedels subreddit certainly loves this story.
So, this whole thing is likely from a troll. After all, the diagram still includes terms like “bass,” “gain,” “treble,” and “footswitch.” Even if you’re not musically inclined, those words should be a giveaway that maybe this isn’t actually a secret 5G coronavirus vaccine microchip.
But, also, if we know anything about conspiracy theories, it’s that none of that matters. It won’t stop the image and accompanying misinformation from being passed off as truth by some less savvy corners of the internet (hello, local Facebook Groups).