Maybe it all started with
the moon landing.
Or maybe it was the John F.
Kennedy assassination.
Whatever it was, conspiracy
theories have come and gone in America much like bell-bottom jeans. But now, it
appears that many conspiracy theories are not simply coming and going but sticking
around, developing, gathering followers and growing immensely.
Nothing proves this more
than the “flat earthers”, a group of people who believe a massive worldwide
conspiracy that the earth is flat. I recently read an article in Popular Science
about this group. The writer for the magazine went to Denver, CO to meet with
an organization and attend a conference. Nothing in the article was shocking,
especially since a multitude of scientific laws prove the earth is round,
except for the fact the author noted one key thing: these people were not
crazy. They were not basement-dwelling weirdos, they were your average run-of-the-mill
Americans, with jobs and mortgages and wives and kids, the whole bit. And that
got me thinking? What is the psychology behind conspiracy theories?
To discuss how some might
believe in conspiracy theories we first must understand a concept called
‘epistemic motives’. Epistemic motives, as defined in psychology, is the
development and understanding of a specific set of information that builds
towards ones set of knowledge. It is a skill that most possess, the skill to
find casual explanations for core knowledge or even new information. Now, the
interesting thing about conspiracy theorists is that they take some sort of
information that is either difficult to understand or perhaps not available and
use that to create uncertainty. They do this by finding conflicting data
(global warming is a hoax because oceans actually 'cooled') or by finding
connections to events that are likely random (school shootings are a hoax
because several people photographed at multiple scenes look similar). They
exploit these small or minor details and begin to instill a natural sense of
curiosity. When faced with evidence that contradicts, the easiest way out of
the argument is simple: THAT information is fake AND part of the conspiracy.
Brilliant really, because with that sort of thinking, you can never be proven
wrong. Hence why these conspiracies spread so rapidly and are so believable.
This becomes more
interesting as you look into what motivates people to gain knowledge. Some seek
knowledge to better understand themselves. Others seek knowledge to better
understand the world around them. Many knowledge seekers do so to feel secure
in their environment and believe that they control certain aspects of their
lives. Conspiracy theorists play off this feeling that people have “lost
control” of an aspect of their lives because they have been “lied to”. And this
motivates people greatly. Especially if you show them a large conspiracy (the
government has lied, the entire scientific community, etc.) and that many have
played a part in fooling them.
Flat earthers have gained
substantial momentum over the past several years. This is due to a variety of
factors, from media coverage to the popularity of YouTube, but one thing is
certain: science education in this country is severally lacking. We are
witnessing the results of not focusing on the importance of teaching the
scientific method, the importance of source checking and fact checking and the
importance of scientific evidence. And that, in combination with the internet
era, where spreading misinformation is just as easy as spreading the truth,
conspiracy theories will continue to find success.
The problem that this poses
to America is that “fact” no longer matters. Look at the anti-vaccination
movement in this country. Its popularity of a multi-level-government conspiracy
has gained so much ground the measles are now back. A disease that was nearly
irradiated by vaccinations has now made comeback, thanks to 1 American actress,
1 bad doctors bad science and thousands sharing and spreading misinformation
online.
So, what can we do? Well,
firstly, as educated and enthusiastic knowledge seekers, we can ensure to read
and research something before sharing it online. Do not fall victim to the
“click and share” mentality that has allowed so much misinformation to spread.
Secondly, let’s all as a society start demanding that the media either stop
covering these theories OR cover them fairly. Allow these conspiracy theorists
to debate the science with scientists and physicists, and then share those
videos. You have to out-tube the you-tubers. Thirdly, find an organization that
is trying to support science education, whether locally or nationally, and
donate either time or money. And lastly, please support politicians, both
locally and nationally, who want to increase funding for education.
With a little bit of time
and a bunch of effort, hopefully these conspiracy theorists will go the way of
the bellbottom jeans.
Sources:
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