Why some conspiracy theories just won’t die | Elise Wang | TEDxDuke

Summary

The video script challenges the stereotype of conspiracy theorists as uneducated and unemployed, revealing that belief in such theories cuts across demographics. It discusses the evolution of conspiracy theories, from the moon landing hoax to more violent and political beliefs like Qanon. The script argues against the effectiveness of media literacy in combating conspiracy theories, highlighting the role of social media algorithms in radicalization. It suggests that addressing conspiracy theories requires more than just fact-checking, emphasizing the need for de-platforming radicalizers and promoting community and shared responsibility for societal issues.

Takeaways

• 😌 The stereotype of a conspiracy theorist as an uneducated, unemployed individual is outdated and misleading.
• 📊 A significant portion of Americans, approximately three-quarters, believe in at least one conspiracy theory, with demographics varying based on the specific theory.
• 🔍 Conspiracy theories are not limited to a single demographic; they can attract individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those with higher education and income levels.
• 🚨 The rise of internet and social media has made it easier for individuals to be radicalized and to find communities that reinforce their conspiracy beliefs.
• 🔗 There is a growing link between belief in conspiracy theories and acts of violence, as illustrated by several tragic incidents mentioned in the script.
• 📚 Media literacy alone is not sufficient to combat conspiracy theories, as people often cling to their beliefs even when confronted with contradictory evidence.
• 🌐 Search engines and social media platforms can inadvertently lead users down a 'rabbit hole' of radicalization by exploiting data voids and algorithmic recommendations.
• 🔑 People are drawn to conspiracy theories not just due to misinformation, but also because they seek meaning, community, and a sense of belonging.
• 🛑 De-platforming individuals who promote conspiracy theories and radicalize others has proven to be an effective strategy in reducing their influence.
• 🌟 It's important to address the underlying social issues that make individuals susceptible to conspiracy theories and to foster a sense of collective responsibility.

Q & A

What is the common stereotype of a conspiracy theorist?

The common stereotype of a conspiracy theorist is that they are typically unemployed, uneducated, and might live in their mom's basement, often depicted as a harmless and easily dismissible individual.

What does the speaker suggest about the demographics of conspiracy theory believers?

The speaker suggests that the demographics of conspiracy theory believers vary depending on the theory. For example, believers in the moon landing hoax tend to be male, lower income, lower education, Republican, and older, while those who believe in vaccine conspiracies tend to be female, younger, upper middle class, with post-secondary education, and are Democrats and Republicans in equal numbers.

How does the speaker describe the evolution of conspiracy theory beliefs?

The speaker describes the evolution of conspiracy theory beliefs as changing from a fringe, easily dismissed group to a more diverse and complex demographic, with some beliefs being linked to violent acts and radicalization.

What is an example given of how a person can be radicalized through the internet?

An example given is of a young man who researched Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, leading him to a white supremacist website, and eventually to a deep dive into similar forums, culminating in a manifesto and a tragic act of violence.

What is the speaker's perspective on the effectiveness of media literacy in combating conspiracy theories?

The speaker believes that media literacy, while seemingly a good solution, has been shown to not work effectively. People tend to cling harder to their beliefs when presented with contradictory information, and the core principles of media literacy are also used by conspiracy theorists themselves.

How does the speaker explain the role of social media algorithms in promoting conspiracy theories?

The speaker explains that social media algorithms are designed to keep users engaged by recommending increasingly radical content, as users become desensitized to the initial level of excitement. This can lead users down a path of radicalization.

What is the speaker's view on the root cause of people seeking out conspiracy theories?

The speaker views the root cause as a search for meaning and community. People seek patterns and narratives to make sense of their suffering, and conspiracy theories provide a community and a narrative that can be comforting and unifying.

What historical context does the speaker provide to understand the appeal of conspiracy theories?

The speaker provides historical context by comparing past social problems, such as the Great Depression and World War, which were understood as collective issues, to modern problems that are often individualized, leading some to seek out conspiracy theories that provide a collective narrative.

What solution does the speaker propose to combat the spread of conspiracy theories?

The speaker proposes de-platforming radicalizers and enforcing strong norms on social media platforms, as well as changing the narrative around social problems to alleviate the 'I suffer because of me' mentality.

How does the speaker argue against the idea of trying to debate conspiracy theorists out of their beliefs?

The speaker argues that debating conspiracy theorists is not effective because radicalization is about belief and anger, not misinformation. It suggests that efforts should be redirected towards actions that can have a broader impact on the phenomenon.

Outlines

00:00

🧐 The Evolution of Conspiracy Theorists

This paragraph challenges the stereotype of conspiracy theorists as uneducated and unemployed individuals. It points out that a significant portion of Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory, and the demographics of believers vary based on the specific theory. For instance, believers in the moon landing hoax tend to be male, lower-income, less educated, and Republican, while those who believe in pharmaceutical conspiracies are more likely to be female, younger, upper-middle-class, and have post-secondary education. The paragraph also illustrates how conspiracy theories can lead to radicalization and violence, using the example of Dylann Roof, who was influenced by white supremacist content online and went on to commit a mass shooting in a church.

05:01

📚 Media Literacy and Its Limitations

The speaker discusses the limitations of media literacy as a solution to conspiracy theories. They explain that simply providing contradictory information to someone's firmly held beliefs can backfire and cause them to cling more tightly to those beliefs. The paragraph also highlights the irony that the same principles advocated by media literacy are also used by conspiracy theorists, such as the Flat Earth Society. The speaker argues that media literacy is not enough because it assumes people are misled due to misunderstandings, whereas conspiracy theorists often seek meaning and community, which conspiracy theories can provide.

10:02

🌐 The Role of Social Media in Conspiracy Theories

This paragraph explores how social media platforms contribute to the spread of conspiracy theories. It explains that groups seeking to radicalize individuals exploit data voids with unique search terms to direct traffic to their sites. Additionally, the algorithmic nature of content platforms tends to promote increasingly radical content to keep users engaged. The speaker shares a personal experiment where they created a new YouTube account and quickly found themselves recommended extremist content after just a few clicks, starting from a neutral news video. This illustrates how easy it is to be exposed to conspiracy theories online.

15:03

🤝 Addressing Conspiracy Theories Through Community and Action

The final paragraph suggests that addressing conspiracy theories is not just about correcting misinformation but about conversion, which requires an internal desire to change. It emphasizes that conspiracy theorists believe not because they lack information but because they seek meaning and community. The speaker argues that focusing on individual debates with conspiracy theorists is often futile and suggests redirecting efforts towards larger societal changes. They propose treating social media like communities with enforceable norms and standards, de-platforming radicalizers, and finding ways to discuss social problems that acknowledge collective suffering rather than individual blame.

Keywords

💡Conspiracy Theorist

A conspiracy theorist is an individual who believes in explanations that involve secret plots or conspiracies, often involving powerful people or organizations, for events or situations. In the video, the stereotype of a conspiracy theorist is discussed, highlighting how this belief system is not limited to a specific demographic but is widespread and can lead to radicalization and violence.

💡Media Literacy

Media literacy refers to the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication. The video argues that while media literacy is often seen as a solution to counter misinformation and conspiracy theories, studies show it can backfire, reinforcing existing beliefs rather than changing them.

💡Radicalization

Radicalization is the process by which individuals or groups come to adopt extreme political, social, or religious ideologies that justify the use of violence or other extreme tactics outside the norm. The video discusses how online platforms and algorithms can contribute to radicalization by directing users towards more and more extreme content.

💡Dylann Roof

Dylann Roof is mentioned as an example of an individual who was radicalized through online conspiracy theories, leading to a tragic act of violence. His case illustrates the real-world consequences of conspiracy theorizing and the ease with which individuals can be led down a path of extremism.

💡QAnon

QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory that alleges a secret plot against U.S. President Donald Trump by the 'deep state.' The video uses QAnon as an example of how conspiracy theories can create a sense of community and belonging, which can be appealing to those feeling isolated or disenfranchised.

💡De-platforming

De-platforming is the act of removing individuals or groups from platforms that host user-generated content, often due to violations of terms of service or community guidelines. The video suggests that de-platforming can be an effective strategy to limit the spread of conspiracy theories and radical content.

💡Algorithm

An algorithm, in the context of the video, refers to the set of rules that drive content recommendation systems on social media platforms. The video argues that these algorithms can contribute to radicalization by promoting increasingly extreme content to keep users engaged.

💡Flat Earth Society

The Flat Earth Society is mentioned as an example of how even groups with extreme beliefs can adhere to principles that sound similar to those of media literacy, such as questioning information and seeking evidence. This highlights the complexity and potential pitfalls of promoting media literacy as a universal solution.

💡Pattern Recognition

Pattern recognition is the cognitive process of identifying regularities or patterns in data. The video suggests that people's innate desire to find patterns and make sense of the world can lead them to conspiracy theories, which provide a narrative that makes chaos seem ordered and understandable.

💡Self-Radicalization

Self-radicalization refers to the process by which individuals independently adopt extremist beliefs and ideologies without direct instruction from others. The video implies that while external factors like media and algorithms can influence radicalization, the individual's desire to believe in a particular narrative also plays a significant role.

💡Sandy Hook

The Sandy Hook massacre is mentioned as an example of a tragic event that was exploited by conspiracy theorists, such as Alex Jones, who claimed it was a hoax. This case illustrates how conspiracy theories can cause real harm and distress to those affected by the events in question.

Highlights

The stereotype of a conspiracy theorist is often an unemployed, uneducated individual, but this is a false belief.

Three-quarters of Americans believe at least one conspiracy theory, with demographics varying by the theory.

Conspiracy theories are not just held by the uneducated; they can be believed by individuals with post-secondary education as well.

The example of Dylann Roof illustrates how online searches can lead to radicalization and violence.

Conspiracy theories have been linked to acts of violence, such as bombings and mass shootings.

The belief in conspiracy theories is not just a crisis of media literacy or truth; it's a crisis of meaning and community.

Media literacy alone is not effective in changing firmly held beliefs and can sometimes backfire.

Conspiracy theorists seek meaning and community, which conspiracy theories provide.

The shift from collective to individual blame for societal problems has led some to seek answers in conspiracy theories.

Conspiracy theories offer a narrative that externalizes blame for personal suffering.

De-platforming radicalizers on social media has proven to be an effective strategy in reducing their influence.

The principle of free speech does not equate to the right to amplification on any chosen platform.

Social media should be treated like communities with enforceable norms and standards of conduct.

Efforts should be redirected from trying to change the minds of conspiracy theorists to addressing the larger phenomenon.

It's important to take responsibility for societal problems and to alleviate the feeling of individual suffering.

Transcripts

[Music]

when i say conspiracy theorist who do

you see

is he

and let's be honest it's he right

unemployed

uneducated

maybe he lives in his mom's basement

does he look

a little like this

so we like this picture this picture

feels safe you know

we feel no threat from this man

and we're not this man

we especially like this picture here at

duke because it helps us to believe that

education is the best defense against

false belief

but this itself is a false belief a

comforting conspiracy theory if you will

the contemporary picture of conspiracy

theory belief looks a little different

than this first of all and let's just

get this out of the way three-quarters

of americans believe at least one

conspiracy theory

and the demographics depend on the

theory so if we're talking about the

theory that the moon landing was a hoax

maybe we are talking about our tin foil

hat man right

the average believer tends to be male

lower income lower education republican

he also tends to be a little bit older

if we're talking on the other hand about

the theory that vaccines are

a conspiracy of pharmaceutical companies

to make you sick and take your money

the average believer is female and tends

to be younger upper middle class with a

post-secondary education and democrat

and republican in equal numbers

so what does belief look like today

here's an example

so in 2012 a young man about your age

wanted to know what all the fuss was

about trayvon martin and george

zimmerman he didn't really watch the

news so he went to wikipedia you know as

you do which gave a fairly neutral

account

but someone had dropped a phrase in

there black on white crime

and he was interested so he googled it

and his first hit was the council of

conservative citizens which is a white

supremacist website

he was hooked and he spent the next two

years deep diving into similar paranoid

forums finally posting a manifesto

online that detailed this awakening

which is how we know the steps that he

took

and then on june 17th 2015 dylan roof

walked into a bible study in the black

church and killed nine people hoping to

start a race war

so i've been teaching conspiracy

theories for one year

and here are a few things that happened

during that time

so

three adherents of the q anon conspiracy

theory which if you don't know is the

theory that trump and mueller are

secretly working together to bring down

the global ring of pedophiles

bombed a mosque in minnesota

another man sent half a dozen

pipe bombs through the mail to prominent

politicians and journalists who he

believed were part of a globalist

conspiracy

and finally a man in pittsburgh

believing that there is a jewish

conspiracy to flood america with

refugees

walked into a synagogue at worship and

killed 11 people

and you might say

well these are not the conspiracy

theories that i meant right

my tinfoil hat man believes that aliens

landed at roswell not these violent

racist theories and you might be right

the face of conspiracy theorizing has

changed but we also forget that in their

time these theories were

polarizing and political

and racist too

as a student of mine pointed out

the frenzy over ufo sightings and aliens

at roswell can be linked to the same

fear of infestation and infiltration

that led to japanese internment

so there is a growing connection between

conspiracy theorizing and violence

and many have rightly recognized this as

a crisis

but the crisis of what

it's a good question

a popular answer is it's a crisis of

media literacy of truth

we're in a crisis of truth the argument

goes that we're you know fundamentally

rational beings that above all we really

do seek truth it's just that in this

post-truth moment we've been left

without the tools to verify our facts as

we would like

to and the idea then is that this has

led us to live in the divided times that

we live in which can all kind of be

chalked up to some massive

misunderstanding

if this is true media literacy really

would be the right answer it would help

us to

sift through information critically and

to correct the misunderstanding

ourselves

so let's start with this proposed

solution media literacy

the first problem with this is that

unfortunately it just doesn't work

study after study has shown that being

presented with information that

contradicts a firmly held belief is more

likely to backfire to make you cling to

that belief harder than it is to change

your mind

the second problem with it is this

so i took this from a

famous website but i've sort of blacked

out the

the society the society believes that

there is a difference between believing

and knowing if you do not know something

and cannot demonstrate it by first

principles then you should not believe

it we must at the very least know

exactly how conclusions were made and

the strengths and weaknesses behind

those deductions our society emphasizes

the demonstration and explanation of

knowledge

so these are pretty sound media literacy

principles right sound scientific

principles for that matter

the only problem is that it comes from

our friends at the flat earth society

so unfortunately the core tenets of

media literacy don't believe everything

you read do the research yourself think

for yourself are also the watch words of

conspiracy theorists

the final problem with this is that the

premise is wrong

so media literacy is designed to

counteract misunderstanding

the ideological equivalent of losing

your way

but dylann roof didn't lose his way

his path online was not an aberration it

is literally built into our media

landscape in a couple of ways

so

first groups that are seeking to

radicalize seeking people like dylann

roof craft unique search terms like

black on white crime

crisis actors false flag to take

advantage of data voids where there are

relatively few existing hits and then

use those data voids to direct traffic

to their sites

secondly

the tendency of content platforms to

produce more and more radical content

is not a bug it's a feature it's

designed to keep you on the site the

more exciting a video is the more likely

you are to keep clicking and because you

would quickly become inured to the same

level of excitement

the algorithm will recommend more and

more radical content the longer you're

there

so i did a little bit of an informal

experiment on my own in august

and i created a dummy youtube account

you know with no watch history

and i began watching a video on abc an

abc video on the removal of silent sam

so that's what this is

and

i watch that

and i don't recommend trying this at

home this led me in one click

to

a video on the unite the right rally in

charlottesville produced by russia today

which led me in one more click

to a homemade hit piece on heather heyer

the woman who was murdered at that rally

which led me in one more click to a

video i'm not going to show us still of

but that was produced by the largest

american neo-nazi group

four clicks from abc to neo-nazis

so this helps us to understand

why the path to conspiracy theories is

easy to find

but why do people go looking for it in

the first place and why once they found

it do they keep walking

so one thing that we talk about in my

class is that we all seek patterns

they comfort us and the more out of

control we feel in our personal lives

and our work in our world the more we

seek patterns to compensate

and this preference for patterns over

noise for narrative over data is so

strong that if the facts don't match our

experience of things we will find a

story that does

and there's nothing shameful about this

it has on the whole served us well

communities unite over stories of their

shared history and culture and our

stories of ourselves of who we are and

our values

they're what guide all of our major

decisions even if we don't always live

up to them in fact

stories are how we unite and they're

what get us up in the morning

conspiracy theorists are no different

people don't believe conspiracy theories

because they're irrational

or uneducated or they just don't have

the right information

far above truth people seek meaning and

community

and conspiracy theories create a

community around the answer to a pretty

meaningful question why do i suffer

so at the beginning of the 20th century

americans experienced the suffering that

was caused by the world wars and the

great depression as a result of a social

problem a collective problem a societal

sickness i suffer because we all do

but the social shifts that started in

the 80s the great recession

the end of domestic manufacturing the

end of long-term employment most

importantly for us we understood these

things as things that happen to

individuals and because of individuals

so

the root of poverty is your

irresponsible behavior the root of

climate change is that sometimes i

forget to recycle the root of millennial

financial precarity is that we spend our

money on brunch right

and so we've just decided to work harder

you know rebrand ourselves for a

lifetime of transient work

take on massive private debt and just

hope for the best self-care ourselves

out of mental health crises and when it

doesn't work blame ourselves for not

optimizing our time for not managing our

money well enough

for not getting the optimal summer

internship for our resume

i suffer because of me

it's no wonder that some people reject

this punishing answer

and conspiracy theories are there

with

a happy twist on this it's not you it's

the caravan coming up from the south to

rob you and take your jobs

it's the muslims who are going to come

in and put you under sharia law

it's the chinese who are going to come

in and ruin your culture

i suffer because of them

and with the them comes a we

we who resist who are united in this

awesome feeling of resentment

q anon has a telling catchphrase they

say where we go one we go all

trust the plan they say who wouldn't

want a plan you could trust and to work

together towards a common goal

in the face of all this what do the

facts really matter

so unfortunately a realization that

conspiracy

theorists don't believe

because they don't have the right

information they're misinformed they're

stupid it's a little bit of a

double-edged sword

it helps us to sympathize with their

position

but it also makes them responsible for

it

dylann roof was led and groomed yes but

he also wanted to believe

so confronting conspiracy theories is

not about correcting a misunderstanding

it's about conversion

something any religious scholar will

tell you is just not possible without

the internal desire for it

so what do we do

so there's a very small thing um but

it's really one of the only things that

we know that works and it's the reason

you can't

repeat that experiment i showed you

earlier

um the platforming

so after much pressure youtube took down

that account that i had blundered into

um so you can't go back and do that

please don't

so we don't think that this should work

but does everybody remember alex jones

so for many years he got attention by

calling sandy hook in similar massacres

a hoax and by directing his supporters

to harass the parents of murder children

at the height of his popularity he got

1.4 million hits per day

and we all sort of wrung our hands about

his popularity you know where there's a

will there's a way on the internet and

if we banned him from social media his

supporters would only be emboldened as

he boasted they would be

but finally last august facebook and

youtube took him down and twitter put

him on a temporary van

now think

when was the last time you heard

anything about alex jones

d platforming works

and to answer the obvious question

this is not a matter of free speech

the principle of free speech is not the

right to amplification on the platform

of your choice

part of believing in education as i

think we all do

is the knowledge that some ideas really

are preferable to others this is the

basis of peer review which is in turn is

the basis of account of the academy you

submit your ideas to

a council of other experts and they

decide whether they should be amplified

so for example the idea that

the tensile strength of a particular

cable is 1500 megapascals is preferable

to the idea that it's 3 000

if only because if you believe the

ladder your bridge is going to fall down

you're not forbidden from believing that

it's 3000 and even telling anyone you

want

you also probably wouldn't expect your

professor to invite you up to her

lecture and proselytize to your

classmates

so the other thing that we can do

is to stop treating this like a matter

of fact an ideological debate

radicalization is not about being

misinformed it's about belief and anger

and violence

so

it might be time to admit that deep

diving into conspiracy theorists

rationale and trying to talk them out of

it is a wasted effort and it's a

distraction from action

we can redirect our efforts to places

where we can actually make an impact on

the larger phenomenon

one thing we can do is to start treating

social media like the communities that

they already are

with standards of conduct and strong

enforceable norms

by de-platforming radicalizers and also

trying to anticipate the ways in which

they might take advantage of social

media algorithms

proactively protecting the people that

conspiracy theorists target

and finding a way to talk about our

social problems that alleviates this

pounding i suffer because of me

but takes real responsibility for the

fact that we do still suffer together

thank you

[Applause]