Gaia Inc.

[[File:Gaia, Inc. Logo.svg|thumb|165px|Not the goddess.]]
{{newage}}
{{cquote|If you look at NASA basically it’s infiltrated by three powerful secret societies that are the freemasons, the Nazis and what I call magicians who are basically followers of [unintelligible] Aleister Crowley of JPL.|||Gaia<ref>[https://youtu.be/2AypeZRfIMA Deep Space — Ancient Space Programm] At 10:30</ref>}}
'''Gaia Inc.''', formerly Gaiam, is a video streaming platform which specializes in all nature of [[woo]] and [[bullshit]], ranging from [[crystal woo|psychic crystal powers]] to [[cryptozoology]] and [[Water fluoridation|fluoride conspiracies]], as well as offering [[yoga]] videos. Essentially, they are a streaming platform for "digital new age nonsense".<ref>[https://thehumanist.com/news/science/the-gaia-deception-digital-new-age-nonsense "The Gaia Deception: Digital New Age Nonsense"] by Duane Paul Murphy, Thehumanist.com, 2018 Sept 25</ref> Their [[YouTube]] account has in excess of 526,000 subscribers,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFVqzO9_qHVckKqNC95o9tw Gaia's YouTube homepage] (Accessed January 18, 2020)</ref> while their [[Facebook]] page has over 3,000,000 followers.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/Gaia/ Gaia's Facebook page] (Accessed January 18, 2020)</ref> They also have an app, endorsed by their brand ambassador, the former [[Disney]] actor and pop star {{wpl|Demi Lovato||.}}<ref>[https://www.avclub.com/earthling-demi-lovato-is-now-brand-ambassador-to-a-cons-1848031543 Earthling Demi Lovato is now brand ambassador to a conspiracy site about lizard people and "forbidden science"], AV Club, Nov 10, 2021</ref>

== History ==
Jirka Rysavy founded Gaia (then known as Gaiam) in 1988. Originally focused on ecologically sustainable products such as recycled material and eco-friendly cleaners, in 1998 Gaiam bought two business dedicated to [[yoga]] and other "healing arts" videos. At this point, Gaiam begin focusing on the yoga market, developing not just yoga videos but yoga apparel and equipment.<ref>[http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/gaiam-inc-history/ Gaia corporate profile,] Fundinguniverse.com, retrieved on 2020 Jan 20</ref> In 2011, Gaiam launched a streaming service, called "Gaiam TV", dedicated to "Lifestyles of Health And Sustainability" and "Conscious Media" markets.<ref>[https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1089872/000119312512117500/d280922d10k.htm GAIAM, INC. Annual Report on Form 10-K For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2011]</ref> In 2015, Gaiam spun off this streaming service in order for Gaiam to focus on the yoga market. This streaming service was renamed "Gaia".<ref>[https://ir.gaia.com/sec-filings/quarterly-reports/xbrl_doc_only/701 Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d): Spin-off of Gaiam TV]</ref>

== General bullshit ==
Gaia seems to take pride in the amount of bullshit they can spew on every conceivable topic. Thankfully for the wallets of those people who don't want to spend money in the company of suckers, Gaia has curated the most potent bullshit into a playlist of short segments, available on their YouTube channel.

This playlist includes gems such as a video which asserts that the placebo effect is magic and that the reason that placebos aren't a valid form of medicine in and of themselves is because it would be bad for [[Big Pharma|Big Pharma's]] profit margins.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JXC1JHoE_U How the Placebo Effect Really Works] (May 25, 2018)</ref> Also included is some [[Reincarnation|past lives]] crap, which not only asserts that past lives are real and can be remembered, but that reincarnation is a topic being seriously researched by scientists of any pedigree.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4LuRJWzPEA Remembering Past Lives]</ref><ref group=note>The most notable person who has investigated reincarnation, and believed it to be an actual postulate worthy of considering, is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Stevenson Ian Stevenson] -- whose conclusions have been [http://skepdic.com/stevenson.html highly criticized.] Generally speaking, the scientific consensus more aligns with the viewpoint of other researchers, such as [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=AlHRETJjTd0C&oi=fnd&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false philosopher Paul Edwards], that reincarnation is an irrational belief that is best approached via religious-oriented sociology, not as an actual scientific explanation for anything.</ref> Other topics mentioned are "animal guardians",<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbkYBMgwNU0 Synchronicity or Animal Guardians?] (Accessed January 18, 2020)</ref> the concept of "starseeds",<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aLJDXeXlJ8 Are You A Starseed?] (Accessed January 18, 2020)</ref> and an appalling video on [[Quantum consciousness|quantum consciousness]], (of course, featuring the wonderful words of [[Ervin Laszlo|Ervin Laszlo]]) which flat-out claims that there is no evidence for [[consciousness]] being the product of naturalistic processes.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1ofIeNfj9I Consciousness: Breaking Scientific Limitations] (Accessed January 18, 2020)</ref> 

Even the CEO of Gaia himself directed an obnoxious piece of quackery called "Secret of Water" in 2015 that investigated, among other nonsense, "whether the form of water crystals indicates their health and happiness by playing classical music for water and recording how the crystals change shape."<ref>[https://www.villagevoice.com/2015/03/18/secret-of-water-might-be-a-great-film-if-youre-high/ "Secret of Water Might Be a Great Film If You're High"] by Diana Clarke, Village Voice, 2015 Mar 18</ref> Basically, this is a riff off the kind of [[water woo]] promoted by the late [[Masaru Emoto]] and other kinds of bunk, such as [[water memory]].

In addition to Youtube videos and their premium subscription streaming services, Gaia's website has articles that continue along the same [[bullshit]] path. A month's selection of articles published by the site contains articles promoting [[Audio_woo|audio woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/healing-frequencies-of-the-ancient-solfeggio-scale "Healing Frequencies of the Ancient Solfeggio Scale",] Gaia Staff, Gaia.com, 2020 January 17</ref><ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/isochronic-tones-the-young-cousin-of-binaural-beats "Isochronic Tones: The Young Cousin of Binaural Beats",] Paul Wagner, 20 December 2019</ref> [[Near-death_experience|near death experience woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/parallel-lives-in-comas-and-ndes-is-this-proof-of-the-afterlife "Parallel Lives in Comas and NDEs: Is This Proof of The Afterlife?",] Gaia Staff, Gaia.com, 2020 January 16</ref> [[Color_therapy|color woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/color-your-world-how-colors-heal "Color Your World: How Colors Heal",] Lisa Trank, Gaia.com, 2020 January 16</ref> [[5G|5G woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/how-to-protect-yourself-from-5g-and-emf-radiation "How to Protect Yourself from 5G and EMF Radiation",] Paul Wagner, Gaia.com, 2020 January 9</ref> [[Freemason|Freemason woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/freemason-secrets-ancient-masonic-rites-rituals-and-myths "Freemason Secrets: Ancient Masonic Rites, Rituals, and Myths",] Paul Wagner, Gaia.com, 2020 January 20</ref> [[Ancient_astronauts|ancient astronauts woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/are-these-out-of-place-artifacts-evidence-of-ancient-alien-technology "Are These Out of Place Artifacts Evidence of Ancient Alien Technology?",] Gaia staff, Gaia.com, 2020 January 17</ref> [[Crystal_woo|crystal woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/how-to-clear-crystals "How to Clear and Program Crystals",] Gaia.com, 2020 January 15</ref> [[Unidentified_flying_object|UFO woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/the-shag-harbour-incident-a-precedent-for-underwater-ufos "The Shag Harbour Incident; A Precedent for Underwater UFOs",] Lisa Trank, Gaia.com, 2020 January 13</ref><ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/the-mantell-ufo-incident-chasing-venus-or-an-alien-spacecraft "The Mantell UFO Incident; Chasing Venus Or an Alien Spacecraft?",] Tasha Shayne, Gaia.com, 2020 January 7</ref><ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/travis-walton-ufo-incident "The Travis Walton UFO Incident; A Famous, Contentious Abduction",] Gaia staff, Gaia.com, 20 December 2020</ref> [[Prophecy|prophecy woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/did-nostradamus-predict-the-same-event-as-these-hindu-scriptures "This Hindu Prophecy is Eerily Similar to Nostradamus’ Predictions",] Gaia staff, Gaia.com, 2020 January 6</ref> [[Telepathy|telepathy woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/loren-mcintyre-telepathically-communicated-with-this-amazon-tribe "Loren McIntyre Telepathically Communicated with This Amazon Tribe",] Paul Wagner, Gaia.com, 2020 January 7</ref> [[Cryptozoology|cryptozoology woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/the-ningen-japanese-mermaid-or-arctic-cryptid "The Ningen; Japanese Mermaid or Arctic Cryptid?",] Gaia staff, Gaia.com, 2020 January 2</ref> [[Feng_shui|feng shui woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/feng-shui-space-clearing "Feng Shui Space Clearing and Salt Water Cure",] Andye Murphy, Gaia.com, 2020 January 2</ref> [[Ayahuasca|psychedelic drug woo]],<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/scientists-find-dmt-produces-a-waking-dream-state "Scientists Find DMT Produces a Waking Dream State",] Tasha Shayne, Gaia.com, 2019 December 17</ref> and, of course, general anti-government [[Conspiracy_theory|conspiracy woo.]]<ref>[https://www.gaia.com/article/haarp-a-u-s-conspiracy-theory-magnet "HAARP; A U.S. Conspiracy Theory Magnet",] Gaia staff, Gaia.com, 2019 December 11</ref> Gaia appears to be aiming to be the definitive resource on the [[Internet]] for those who like their [[yoga]] and [[meditation]] mixed with unhealthy doses of anti-institutional [[paranoia]] and the most "far out" [[New_Age|New Age]] [[mysticism|mysticism bullshit]] you can think of.

To no great surprise, there are links between some of Gaia's programming and other [[pseudoscience]] programs or personnel, such as [[Ancient_Aliens|Ancient Aliens]] or [[David_Wilcock|David Wilcock]].<ref>[http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/billionaires-ufos-and-satan-and-to-think-it-used-to-be-weird-to-link-them "Billionaires, UFOs, and Satan: And to Think, It Used to Be Weird to Link Them"] by Jason Colavito, 2017 May 31</ref> <ref>[http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/david-wilcock-issues-apology-to-gaia-tv-claims-conspiracy-by-dark-alliance-to-destroy-conspiracy-media "David Wilcock Issues Apology to Gaia TV, Claims Conspiracy by "Dark Alliance" to Destroy Conspiracy Media",] Jason Colavito, 2019 Feb 06</ref>

On the flip side, [[Alfred_Webre|Alfred Webre]] believes that if one purchases Gaia products, their homestead will be subject to "DEW directed energy weapons" from "malevolent corporate or nation state actor[s]", causing them "severe trauma and health damage."<ref>[https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/ciencia3/ciencia_nonlethalweapons28.htm "Directed Energy Weapons Causing Blindness and Paralysis",] Alfred Lambremont Webre, NewsInsideOut, 2018 Jan 09 (archived at [[Biblioteca_Pleyades|Biblioteca Pleyades]])</ref> Buyer beware!

==Cryptozoologic bullshit== 
As mentioned before, Gaia also talks about cryptozoologic bullshit, including the idea that as yet undiscovered cryptids shift themselves along the scale of electromagnetic radiation, and that's why we have yet to discover [[Bigfoot]].{{efn|Yes, this is seriously something believed by people.  I wish I was joking.}}<ref>[https://youtu.be/QinS6-0O2_Q?t=120 A Unified Theory of the Paranormal] (Accessed January 18, 2020)</ref> [[Extraterrestrial|Aliens]] are also a common topic, with two separate videos in one playlist about [[Unidentified flying object|UFOs]] as they relate to aliens.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTAVLXQGhO0 The Origins of the Modern UFO] (Accessed January 18, 2020)</ref>

==In 2 Nutshells==
{{video|youtube| https://youtu.be/ttSaDl7obwM}}
{{video|youtube| https://youtu.be/Wijz1epons0}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|2|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Alternative medicine promoters]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:Conspirituality]]
[[Category:Cryptozoology]]
[[Category:New Age]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoting organizations]]
[[Category:Ufology]]
[[Category:Webshites]]
[[Category:YouTube]]
[[Category:Crystals]]

Categories: Alternative medicine promoters, Conspiracy theorists, Conspirituality, Cryptozoology, New Age, Pseudoscience promoting organizations, Ufology, Webshites, YouTube, Crystals