Conspiracy culture

From flat-earthers to QAnon, conspiracy theories are nothing new—so why have they become widespread in the past decade?

Hallie Wiltshire / Asst. Opinion Editor / The USD Vista

In the past year, conspiracy theories have exploded in popularity. Although some are relatively harmless, many feed on hatred and even provoke violence. From the claim that COVID-19 is a hoax created by China to accusations that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by the Democrats, what were once fringe movements have become hard to ignore. 

Conspiracy theories have always existed, but recently they have gained significant traction. Following any major event in America, you can expect communities of deluded believers to come out and claim that not all is as it seems—there is a deeper, darker, and more secret cause behind what happened. These people feed on tragedy to fuel their fanatical theories. 

After the Sandy Hook shooting, where 26 people, including 20 children, were killed, some claimed that the entire event was orchestrated by the U.S. government in order to promote stricter gun control laws. Others, including far-right radio host Alex Jones, asserted that the entire event was fake. Real grief felt by the parents who lost their children was mocked by sick individuals looking to promote their deluded agendas. 

As soon as news about the novel COVID-19 virus was reported in the U.S., claims that it was a hoax began to spread. Even today, after millions of deaths worldwide, some are unwavering in their belief that the entire virus is fake. This can lead to careless and selfish behavior, which allows the virus to spread faster. There is also skepticism about the new COVID-19 vaccines, as some claim that the government is injecting GPS microchips into the population. 

Conspiracy theorists live in an alternative reality where everything is suspicious. No member of the “establishment,” whether that means the government, scientists or someone else, can be trusted. They are all out to trick the public. Ryan Neville-Shepard, a professor of communication studies at the University of Arkansas, studies conspiracy theories as a genre of rhetoric. According to him, conspiracy rhetoric has the following characteristics: it is anti-establishment, it is a critique against a dominant mythic framework, and it contains a broad political ideology that creates common ground amongst its supporters.

Neville-Shepard says that the political climate during the 2020 election was a perfect storm for conspiracy theories, as they often “come at a time of major political polarization — especially when one party loses a lot of power and another party comes into power.” He also asserts that conspiracy theories are dangerous and must be taken seriously. They prey on people who are not media literate and feel politically polarized, which describes a large population of the U.S. 

The 2020 election was one of the most tense in U.S. history. Avid Donald Trump supporters were adamant that if he did not win the election, it was a conspiracy. Some believe in QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory claiming that a secret group of cannibalistic, Satan-worshipping pedophiles is running a global child sex-trafficking ring and plotting to take down former U.S. President Trump while he was in office. There has been no evidence of the existence of this organization, and it is this lack of concrete evidence that acts as a common thread between conspiracy theories. 

QAnon supporters feel that they’re the only ones who can see the truth behind the scenes. Everyone else is a sheep, blindly following the rules of the establishment. But QAnon supporters believe they’re smarter than everyone else — they haven’t fallen for the government’s tricks. This bonds QAnon supporters together, they feel they have a duty to inform the public and to reveal the secrets hidden behind the curtains. 

Most just laugh these people off, but they can be dangerous. Trump used every mode of communication within his reach to alert his supporters that the 2020 election had been stolen by the Democrats and that he was the victim of a nation-wide conspiracy. He encouraged them to challenge the results and fight for a fair election. When thousands of Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s win, many wore QAnon merchandise. This failed insurrection has been called an attack on democracy, and five people lost their lives in the struggle. 

Conspiracy theories “are forms of misinformation that people are creating, often to make a profit. And at first, it seems like it’s just sort of funny. But it has, as we’ve seen with the insurrection of the Capitol, dangerous ramifications,” Neville-Shepard said. Political conspiracy theories, particularly ones like QAnon that have no base in reality and intend to rile up audiences, are a threat to American democracy. No conspiracy theory is truly harmless. Their root ideas of anti-authority and anti-establishment cause people to question, and even outright attack, the government. There is nothing wrong with questioning the government, but to do so solely based on false facts and unsupported conspiracies is dangerous. 

One of the primary issues with conspiracy theorists and evidence is that the theories are non-falsifiable. There is no piece of evidence that will prove to conspiracy theorists that they are wrong because if you provide this evidence, they will simply say that it is part of the conspiracy and the establishment put it there to deceive the public. Conspiracy theorists are beyond logic, they are caught up in their own worlds and won’t take anything said outside of that world seriously. 

Many theorists obtain the majority of their information from the Internet. Whether in the form of self-made videos on YouTube or blogs, theorists say they’ve unlocked the information that the establishment wants to keep hidden. They gather in Internet discussion boards to exchange information that hasn’t been fact checked and lacks basic evidence. 

Certain people are more likely to fall for conspiracy theories, and may even support multiple. At the forefront is a mistrust of authority. Combined with this is a frustration with the dominant political scene. This fusion was lethal during Donald Trump’s presidency. A significant aspect of his platform was that he was not a political insider; he hadn’t been corrupted by the political establishment and therefore was a candidate for the people. 

It’s no surprise then that many of his most enthusiastic supporters are also conspiracy theorists. Trump not only tolerated but encouraged conspiracy theories such as QAnon. He retweeted QAnon accounts frequently and never formally denounced the group. His supporters took this as his approval. 

It’s easy to laugh off flat-earthers as they try to debate real scientists but their adamant anti-establishment ideas could lead to escalation down the road, just as we saw at the Capitol riots. Fact checking information and not relying on online discussion boards for information are two easy ways to avoid falling for conspiracy theories. It’s also important to recognize that changing one’s opinion when new information is presented is completely rational. We are quick to dig our feet in when our ideas are challenged, and conspiracy theorists are no different. 

The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.