The damage due to the perpetuation of misinformation can have serious social consequences.
Chances are, you might think of at least one conspiracy theory youve heard about.
Why do people believe these theories?
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And how do they keep spreading even when theyre debunked?
What Is a Conspiracy Theory?
Conspiracy theories are incredibly widespread and seem to be a part of all modern and traditional societies.
Research has yet to identify a culture that does not hold some sort of conspiracy beliefs.
They have agreed on a few key elements of a conspiracy theory.
Any idea, regardless of how baseless it is, can easily travel at the speed of Wi-Fi.
The Internet, social media, and online news sources can disseminate any opinion.
Conspiracy theories take advantage of some of the most basic characteristics of being human.
The human mind is always trying to find patterns and make sense of its environment.
Humans are also always looking for people with whom they feel connected.
We also look for patterns in situations and find causal explanations for events and a set of behaviors.
A conspiracy theory explains the overwhelming events in life.
It satisfies our curiosity when we dont have enough data about something.
To the human brain, a false explanation is better than no explanation.
Conspiracy theories are more likely to pop up when there is minimal or conflicting information about a topic.
It proves to be a coping mechanism for people who feel at the mercy of fate.
People are more susceptible to conspiracies when they are anxious and feel powerless.
Conspiracy theories may have helped them accomplish this.
For example, our ancestors probably would have benefited from being suspicious of powerful and potentially hostile coalitions.
In this case, they may have been able to avoid a threat.
This would be an evolutionary advantage in finding food, shelter, and potential mates.
In some ways, a conspiracy theory may satisfy the human desire to belong.
Sharing in the conspiracy also validates their self-image.
The assumption is that the coalition ismoraland good, and they are being sabotaged by people outside of it.
Studies have shown that having faith in conspiracies is associated withnarcissistictendenciesor an inflated view of oneself.
Consequences of Conspiracy Theories
The consequences of conspiracy theories can quickly be far-reaching and severe.
They Spread False Information
A conspiracy theory is not just a harmless rumor.
This belief gives them a sense of disempowerment and increases anxiety,isolation, and vulnerability to outside influences.
It became harder for a layperson to navigate all these sources and know what sources they could trust.
It also became increasingly difficult for people to find reliable guidance on what they could believe.
Conspiracy theories specific to the pandemic quickly began to emerge and spread almost as fast as the virus itself.
Quickly, people became convinced that their neighbors were witches.
The belief wasnt a brief lapse in judgmentthe trials went on for over a year.
A judge and jury tried the supposed witches, and 30 of them were sentenced to hanging.
Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
Some conspiracy theories have turned out to be true.
The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment is a prime example of this turn of events.
In reality, they received no treatment.
The illness was allowed to ravage their bodies, and the men suffered irreversible consequences.
Whats more, a treatment for syphilis, penicillin, was available at the time of the experiment.
It was also a collectively traumatic moment for the American public, and there wasnt much closure.
The assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was killed on live television just two days after he assassinated Kennedy.
That rate dropped to 31% after the publication of the Warren Commissionthe official investigation into what happened.
The Warren Commission concluded that Oswald had acted alone, but the Lone Gunman theory proved controversial.
The theory dates back to 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico.
Metal debris described in a report as a flying saucer stoked the iconic UFO conspiracy theory.
However, people werent placated.
UFO cover-up conspiracies became inextricably linked with Area 51, a highly classified Air Force base in Nevada.
It was here that theorists believed the government was hiding all the proof of UFOs.
In 2013, a declassified CIA report mentioned Area 51 by name.
Military experts maintain that Area 51 is most likely used to test and train experimental aircraft and weapons systems.
Instead, conspiracy theorists believe the event was filmed on a sound stage.
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