Photos of Facebook ‘Demon’ Go Viral

A set of Facebook photos posted by Richard Christianson has gone viral, as thousands of people are debating what exactly the photos display. Some see a demonic winged-creature, and others call it an angel. Still other people said it was a hoax, or simply a palm tree or other natural phenomenon.

Christianson posted the photos last Sunday, and it quickly went viral. As of Wednesday, the post has been liked nearly 6,000 times, attracted nearly 10,000 comments, and shared a whopping 82,000 times. Many users have called on Christianson to share more information about the image’s origin, and to take clearer shots of the same location. So far, he has yet to respond.

The concept of “seeing” paranormal and religious iconography in photos is nothing new. Various studies have been conducted on the phenomenon. A 2012 study from Finland found that those who hold religious or paranormal beliefs are more likely to “see” religious or paranormal figures than their skeptical counterparts.

“Even a small amount of information, perhaps just two dots that slightly resemble eyes may trigger the idea that this could be face-like. In other words, the believer groups found more meaningful patterns in ambiguous pictures,” explained Tapani Riekki, a doctoral student in the division of cognitive psychology and neuropsychology at the University of Helsinki at the time.

Your Daily Dish has reached out to Richard Christianson for a comment.