Text:

“My mom is really into conspiracy theories. One of them that she’s into is the one about the lizard people that live in the tunnels under LA. I don’t know if she actually believes it or not, I think she just watches a lot of YouTube videos about them. She sends me Instagram DMs about it, just memes and TikToks.”

When asked to explain what the lizard people are, DS responded:

“Okay, basically they’re these shapeshifting aliens that have been around for thousands of years and control everything. Like, if you dig into any scandal with the government or celebrities, the idea is that they’re probably behind it.”

When asked if his mother had any stories of personally encountering the lizard people, DS responded:

“She talks a lot about this YouTuber she watched a few years ago who was filming himself walking around the tunnels and he said that he had seen the lizard people down there during a previous visit. I don’t think he actually caught them on tape in the video though.”

Context:

DS is a 20 year old student studying political science at UCLA. He grew up in Los Angeles in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood. In this entry, he is referring to the network of tunnels that span roughly 11 miles that were used as speakeasies during the Prohibition Era.

Analysis:

This entry from DS demonstrates an intersection of city history and internet conspiracy theory in the creation of folklore. The idea that the rich and powerful are secretly lizard people is not a conspiracy theory unique to Los Angeles, or even the United States. This notion, arguably, can only be sustained through global internet communication via comment sections, discussion sites, forums, etc, where such notions can be entertained without being realistically challenged. Yet, despite the global appeal of the reptilian conspiracy theory, it has taken on its own special iteration within the context of Los Angeles, particularly within the tunnels that span underground. Already mired with mystery and a reputation for secrecy as they were used to host speakeasies during the Prohibition Era, the tunnels become the ideal location for hiding lizard people. Additionally, Los Angeles is considered the home of many powerful and influential people, which helps to contribute further to the idea that they may be lurking beneath us. Folk communication, as described by DS, as memes and Tiktoks add a social layer to the conspiracy, a means to connect with another person through shared anxieties about the “elite.”