The Matrix’s real-world legacy – from red pill incels to conspiracies and deepfakes

“The Matrix is surely the kind of film about the matrix that the matrix would have been able to produce,” he said.

The tweet represented a complete reversal of Morpheus’s red pill reality, says author James Ball.

Actor Hugo Weaving, who played Agent Smith in the original Matrix trilogy, has also said he is “befuddled” by the hijacking of the film’s message.

Together this can provide fertile ground for a spiral into a tailspin of misinformation and conspiracy theories.

However, digital information sharing has not solely reinforced mistruth and protected the establishment.

If you’ve heard the theory before or just learned about it, here’s a thread breaking down the trans allegory of the film, from trans writers and critics.

In 2016, a group of physicists suggested it is likely that our universe is not real and is instead a giant simulation run by a higher power.

As implausible as it sounds, it fits the legacy of The Matrix.

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