Illuminati, a secret society founded in Bavaria in 1776, has recently been the subject of an intoxicating rumor that is sweeping the nation.
The plural of the Latin term illuminatus meaning “enlightened,” the Illuminati is believed to be a group of individuals who form an über-shadowy, conspiratorial organization who supposedly control essentially every aspect of human life.
So just who are these individuals who serve as the puppet masters of the world? And how do they tangle us in their inevitable web?
Allow me to introduce (to those who are unfamiliar) a few members of the Illuminati: Rihanna, Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Kanye West and Lady Gaga, all led by Jay-Z. Shrouded in common imagery and popular culture, the Illuminati theory seems to be a popular one. But it is just that: a theory. Evidence of these individuals involvement with the secret society are supported by a number of YouTube videos the most popular being,
The Jay-Z Deception, an 11 part documentary that claims to connect the most influential people in the hip-hop industry to “the occult[…]secret societies [and…] a Satanic new world order.” There are also websites, Twitter accounts and Facebook fan pages all dedicated to the discourse on the Illuminati.
After watching a few YouTube videos and reading a few blogs, I was convinced of a few things: that I will never spend my days avoiding triangles, listening to song lyrics playing backward or over-analyzing what Lady Gaga’s eccentric costumes may mean. But that was about it.
I was not convinced that Jay-Z was the Anti-Christ or that Jennifer Hudson sold her soul and her family’s lives to the devil in exchange for money and fame.
In actuality, I was a little perturbed that someone would seriously think and believe that. While watching, I started to wonder, “What makes this guy an expert on the occult?” and “How does she know what price this person paid for fame?”
Neither of these questions was answered and the sources of popular Illuminati rumors surrounding musicians are not very credible. When looking for information on the producers of many of the YouTube videos and blogs, I found nothing in regards to their expertise in anything related to their theories.
Just because you hear something does not make it fact. I am not saying that the theories are correct or incorrect, but before blatantly believing in something, people should do some research and make sure the source has some sort of credibility.
Simply put, the rumor mill is not the most credible source. In 1944, Robert Knapp published “A Psychology of Rumor,” in which he discusses fear rumors that anxiety and panic. In my opinion this is exactly what the Illuminati rumors are.
According to psychologist Nicholas DiFonzo, in some cases, rumors serve as a sense-making mechanism for people. He goes on to say that rumors lead people to see relationships even if they are non-existent, for example the relationship to tragic death of Jennifer Hudson’s mother and nephew to human sacrifice. As ridiculous as the rumor may sound, people see it has a logical explanation for a disturbing and absolutely horrific situation.
Although they may be celebrities with loads of money and a little bit of power, does not exactly mean that they are the ushers of a new world order.
Coincidently, these rumors have only drawn attention to the alleged Illuminati members and swell their pockets instead of destroy their careers, which I am sure was the original purpose for the exposing the “dark side” of their art. Relax. It’s just music.
If there was a secret cult, we probably would not have access to all their “secret” information and “secret” codes on YouTube. 
Pop stars are not plotting to infiltrate the system and take over the world as we know it. There’s not a big, bad Boogie man under your bed. Just look and you will see.
 Melody Andrews is a sophomore majoring in biological sciences. She can be contacted at [email protected].