Beliefs in conspiracy theories and (more generally) misinformation may be unfounded, but they can be used to spread lies, undermine trust in the media and government institutions, incite violent or extremist behavior, etc. It can have a variety of harmful real-world effects.
For example, some conspiracy theories claim that the COVID-19 pandemic is a hoax or plot by a secret society to control the world’s population. Such beliefs can lead to refusal of important health measures such as wearing masks and vaccination, thereby putting the public at risk. It can also undermine the credibility and authority of scientific and political institutions such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations, fostering mistrust and polarization.
In extreme cases, conspiracy theories can even motivate some individuals or groups to commit acts of violence. False reports that the 2020 US presidential election was “stolen” supported the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Another example is the 2016 “Pizzagate” scandal. A child prostitution ring linked to Democratic Party officials, a South Carolina man drove to the nation’s capital, entered restaurants with an assault-style rifle and terrorized employees and customers, searching for evidence of a crime that didn’t exist. That never happened.
These two examples demonstrate how far from harmless chit-chat, misinformation and conspiracy theories can pose serious threats to individual and collective safety, social cohesion, and even democratic stability.
Conspiracy-minded communities grow and spread online. Social media, such as forums, allow such groups to form and provide continuous and repeated access to information, reinforcing beliefs and building a sense of common identity. Rather than cower in the face of evidence contrary to their beliefs, such groups often choose to deepen their involvement, which can eventually lead to radicalization. For many people, the idea of giving up delusions is completely unthinkable. They are too invested.
This identification not only means that common strategies to counter misinformation and conspiracy theories, such as fact-checking, debunking, or presenting alternative views to such theories, fail, but that these communities are further This is why it may contribute to encouraging people to take a firm stand.
Why and how conspiracy theories spread
In our recent research, we aimed to understand exactly that. why and how Conspiracy theories persist on social media over time.
We find that social media serves as an echo chamber for such beliefs, helping to foster a common identity towards the radicalization of conspiracy theories. The core characteristics of social media play an important role in building and strengthening identity echo chambers. For example, providing easy and continuous access to content that feeds misconceived beliefs can lead individuals to become increasingly committed to such theories. These people imagine themselves to be “reality investigators,” but they scour the Internet looking only for information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs.
Online networks also make it easy for individuals to recreate conspiracy theories by simply sharing or copying/pasting relevant content. This information is therefore immediately visible to your followers and forum members through hashtags and the algorithms used by some platforms. Our research identifies his four key stages in the expansion of such conspiracy theories.
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Identification: Users browse and view different types of content (via forums, mainstream media, and social media) to actively validate and confirm their views.
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affirmation of identity: Individuals disassociate or selectively choose information from its original source (described above). In the case of “Pizzagate,” conspiratorial users took photos of the Clinton Foundation’s aid efforts in Haiti, created visual evidence of its ties to a sex-trafficking ring, and posted them on Reddit and 4chan. Despite being clearly altered and taken out of context, the image was widely shared to promote conspiracy theories.
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Identity protection: Individuals protect their “information environment” by actively seeking to discredit individuals or organizations that present contradictory evidence, for example through hostile or negative posts or comments. .
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enactment of identity: Individuals seek broader social approval from a more mainstream audience. This could also lead to efforts to leverage the community’s user base to recruit more people and call out acts of violence.
These stages actually constitute a spiral loop, reinforcing conspiratorial shared social identities and enabling potential escalation to radicalization.
Prevention, not more information
Our findings highlight the need to reconsider some of our current fact-based approaches, which not only have been proven ineffective, but actually encourage conspiratorial beliefs. Masu. Instead, we encourage policymakers to focus on prevention and educational support.
It is more important than ever to develop media literacy and critical thinking skills that enable citizens to assess the reliability and validity of online information sources. These skills include analysis, synthesis, contrasting evidence, and options for identifying flaws and contradictions.
It is also important to address the underlying social issues that may contribute to the spread of conspiracy theories. The reality of conspiracy theory communities is that they often represent marginalized people in our society. Their very existence is made possible by social exclusion. Addressing social exclusion and promoting community values can also help combat the spread of conspiracy theories.