This year I’m gonna Google wtf that means

Money

I don’t think that really follows. Would you say molecules of fluid have a collective consciousness?

We might be picking up on things we don’t consciously notice that guide our movement but it’s still a local thing that doesn’t require a collective consciousness

The key metric is always: how many people would have to be in on it and never say anything. The ones that are hundreds or thousands of people are obvious nonsense. If it’s just a handful of people, it’s perfectly plausible.