Conspiracy theories spark our imagination and excite our brains
At some point in our lives we all subscribe to a conspiracy theory of one sort or another. Some of us are more susceptible to them than others. The problem is that with social media, conspiracy theories spread like wildfire, distorting the truth and casting shadows on the authority of the experts.
Most of us want the truth. Or do we?
As I’ve gotten older I realize that the drive to be right is often much stronger than the drive for truth. This means we look for confirming evidence to support our biases and beliefs, and discard dissenting ideas that prove us wrong, and thus we perpetuate untruths.
Conspiracy Theories feed our biases and beliefs about the world
And for this reason, it’s not easy to let go of these theories. Often we’re reluctant to even consider that they aren’t true. We look for “experts” to validate them, but education does not an expert make. It’s not unheard of to have articles cited that are written by someone with a PhD with no expertise in the field they’re writing in used as evidence to support a conspiracy.
Do you want someone with a PhD in education operating on you? Nope. It’s a silly consideration. A background check on the author claiming expertise outside their field of study, and more often than not, you find evidence that the person is backed by a group lobbying with a particular agenda.
This isn’t to say that none can have an opinion outside their field of expertise, or even question the status quo. But when they make claims that are at odds with the majority of experts within the field, it’s a red flag.
So what’s the problem with conspiracy theories?
They are a tool of extremism and a way of inciting distrust of experts.
Conspiracy theories are tools of manipulation. They prey on people’s fears and biases. People who lack agency are particularly vulnerable to believing these theories that are full of half-baked truths or outright lies.
This was magnified during the days of COVID-19 when conspiracy theories abounded, and continue still. I’ve subscribed to a few myself and I’ll talk about one later, but back to why these theories need to be debunked.
Social media allows conspiracy theories to spread at a high rate.
While most of the people who re-post them aren’t necessarily convinced they’re true, they find them entertaining and scintillating, and as they circulate, the volume of re-shares gives the illusion of credibility. Why would so many share it if it weren’t true? And suddenly, herd mentality becomes the measure of validity.
Also, because this misinformation is dispersed through social media channels, fact-checking falls by the wayside and becomes the responsibility of the populace.
And as I wrote earlier, we don’t always want to discover that something that supports our way of thinking is erroneous.
Or we don’t have time to fact-check and because we trust the person who posted it, we blindly like or share it.
The Conspiracy Theory Handbook
The Conspiracy Theory Handbook is a useful resource. Here’s a quote detailing what the handbook provides its reader. It’s a free download and a valuable resource.
“Conspiracy theories attempt to explain events as the secretive plots of powerful people. While conspiracy theories are not typically supported by evidence, this doesn’t stop them from blossoming. Conspiracy theories damage society in a number of ways. To help minimize these harmful effects, The Conspiracy Theory Handbook explains why conspiracy theories are so popular, how to identify the traits of conspiratorial thinking, and what are effective response strategies.”
The Conspiracy Theory Handbook
What Conspiracy Theory Did I Have To Drop?
I actually have to drop quite a few conspiracies that come across my feed. I’ll tell you in a moment what I do with them, but I’m susceptible to conspiracy theories that support my worldview because they give energy to my thoughts. They get me fired up and ready me for a fight.
When President Trump started pushing Hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, I was puzzled. Where did he get the idea and why was he pushing it so hard. Initially, I thought he probably wanted to be credited with a cure and I spun a nice little scenario around that. But then I started to read that he was pushing it because he’d met with the President of the drug company that makes chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. From there people speculated that Trump had shares in the drug company and stood to make a huge profit.
It fit my narrative but was it true?
When I researched further, I discovered:
- The patent is available to multiple pharmaceutical companies
- It’s cheap
- While Trump does have shares in a company that manufactures it, his profit wouldn’t be substantial.
Although the treatment Trump proposed was debunked, I had to let go of my theory that it was driven by greed and I certainly couldn’t perpetuate my hypothesis through social media because it lacked merit.
What Can We Do When a Conspiracy Theory Comes Our Way?
- Question assertions before re-posting claims, especially when there is no substantiating evidence.
- Run it through Snopes or leadstories.com to verify whether it’s a hoax, misrepresented, partly true, true, or false.
- It’s easier to let go of conspiracy theories when you keep a file, and use it as the stuff for writing fiction rather than perpetuating it as truth.
- You should see my file 😅
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P.S. As inundated as we are each day with opinions on vaccines, or chem trails, or the state of the economy, it’s by working together and being vigilant that we can unravel the threads of truth and create a narrative based on accuracy rather than fear or bias. We can take back control of the narrative if we refuse to get pulled in.
P.S.S. May each new day bring you moments of wonder.