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Why do we believe and follow so many rumors/ conspiracy theories made up and run on 4chan for the sole purpose of trolling? (I.e. QAnon, Pizzagate, OKhand sign etc.)
Not every quote you read on the internet is true- Abraham Lincoln
A recent study revealed that as many as one third of Americans believe that global warming is a hoax. A gunman stormed a pizza restaurant believing that the establishment was a front for child trafficking, after an online forum convinced him so. Anti-vaxxers and flat earthers have taken the Internet by storm. Trump won the presidency in part by appealing to conspiracy. There is evidence that as many as half of all Americans believe in some kind of conspiracy.
So what is it that makes so many people believe in these theories?
A psychological study by Karen M. Douglas, Robbie M. Sutton, and Aleksandra Cichocka attempts to find their motivations.
The study finds that epistemic motives are common across the board, the desire to find a reason for things for which their is very little information. Conspiracy theorists desire a world which is knowable, free from uncertainty, and without chaos. Under circumstance of incomplete information, theorists fill the void with whatever they see fit. From their perspective, they are privy to inside information.
There are also existential motives, the desire to feel safe because some malevolent force is in control of the situation. The study shows that people turn to conspiracy when they feel anxious and powerless. The theories exist as a sort of excuse to justify their lack autonomy. They believe that they do not succeed because an unreasonably powerful malevolent force is blocking them.
Many conspiracy theorists do so for social benefits, including to maintain or even promote their self or group image. Conspiracy theories are most common among those who feel that their group is under some threat from outside influence. This suggests that belief is inherently defensive, created to protect self image so as to avoid humiliation or shame.
Conspiracy theories come from groups and individuals who feel they are already alienated from society, so they create false narratives to justify their situation and explain their reality. This leads to mistrust of social institutions which causes a feedback loop of detachment from opposing groups, further alienating themselves from society.
At some point in the distant past, the universe went through a phase of cosmic inflation, Stars formed, planets coalesced, and on at least one of them life took root. Through a long process of evolution this life developed into the human race. Humans conquered fire, built complex societies and advanced technology . All of that so we can argue about nothing.
I see conspiracy theories as primarily just another way humans try to avoid personal responsibility. When someone has some issues in their life, the last thing they want to think is, "I am in this situation, because I did not take the difficult steps to avoid/resolve it". They want to find someone to blame for it, anyone but themselves. They can blame the rich, the government, the parents, the foreigners, the criminals, the luck or whatever else. And conspiracy theories are very convenient here, as they always put out this idea of an insidious villain with unimaginable powers at their disposal. If you believe that there is a powerful organisation behind something which manages to cover nearly all traces of its existence, then how can you possibly fight it? That is right, you cannot, hence you can just sit back and say, "My life problems are caused by that organisation, and there is nothing I can do about it. Time to watch Netflix!"
Not all conspiracy theories have this function, but they all, I believe, are based on the same fundamental human need: to not have to take personal responsibility and to face harsh reality.
Take Trump, for example, whom people often connect to conspiracy theories. Well, there was this conspiracy theory (which turned out to have zero evidence behind it) that Trump won because of the Russian interference in the election. Nobody ever managed to prove it, but many people still believe it. Why? Because the alternative - that their fellow Americans, ones they interact with every day, actually genuinely support someone who they personally find reprehensible - is too painful. Facing that alternative would mean admitting that the people around you are less like you than you realised, and that would, in turn, suggest that you have to alter your behavior and get out of your comfort zone to keep interacting with those people productively. Much easier to brush it off with "Russians did this" and "The alt-right brainwashed people", as that way one does not have to correct their prior paradigm about what Americans as a society are really like.
Same goes for, say, Flat-Earthers. If you interact with them for a bit, you will find that they do not know the most basic facts from science, ones most people learn in middle-school. Such ignorance obviously impairs their lives significantly, because in the modern world one has to have that knowledge to be able to function properly. But, again, learning it requires effort. It is much easier to say, "Well, all of this is just hogwash made by NASA", so you never have to open a physics book in your life and learn non-trivial material.
Interestingly enough, in the attempt to avoid having to put in effort, intellectual and emotional, people often end up putting far more effort into constructing a sophisticated conspiracy theory - and promoting it. We had a few people here on Debateisland in the past who would spend hours every day posting about "Flat Earth". If they just took a fraction of that time and spent it studying basic physics, they would have already made up for the gaps in their knowledge and never need to resort to conspiracy theories to begin with.
Humans are very irrational creatures, and acting in a way that harms our own interest is in our nature. Short-term pain in exchange for long-term gratification typically is regarded by us as less desirable, than short-term gratification resulting in long-term pain.
I especially like to illustrate this phenomenon with how most people approach asking out the person they really like. They will spend a lot of time around them, desperately trying to get closer to them. They will agonise for days, weeks, sometimes months, hoping that the relationship will just randomly begin at some point. Then the person they like finds a partner, and it all ends without ever beginning. All that is required is one simple thing: to walk up to them and to tell them you really like them and if they would like to go out on a date with you. It is a very simple action that takes a few seconds and that anyone who can walk and speak can do. However, doing so requires putting oneself into a very short period of intense discomfort and uncertainty. Most people are too afraid of doing so, so they choose a tremendous amount of suffering throughout a long period of time, over a sharp jolt of pain followed either by a huge reward, or, at worst, by the state of contentment and peace.
Conspiracy Theories should actually be theories of conspiracy. The homicide detective finds evidence that there are two or more people involved in the murder. He comes up with a theory on it and tries to find a lead to prove his theory correct.
What most people believe about conspiracy theories is that it is all made up. Some of it is, but the problem comes into play when someone tries to expose the truth about truly insidious activity done by say someone in government and all that has to be done to get people to look away is to label it conspiracy theory. This is sad.
However, there are those who will buy into the theory without evidence to even come close to being true. The flat-earthers I would say are in that circle.
At any rate, looking into something to find the truth is not running away from responsibility, but is taking a responsibility to investigate further.
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A recent study revealed that as many as one third of Americans believe that global warming is a hoax. A gunman stormed a pizza restaurant believing that the establishment was a front for child trafficking, after an online forum convinced him so. Anti-vaxxers and flat earthers have taken the Internet by storm. Trump won the presidency in part by appealing to conspiracy. There is evidence that as many as half of all Americans believe in some kind of conspiracy.
So what is it that makes so many people believe in these theories?
A psychological study by Karen M. Douglas, Robbie M. Sutton, and Aleksandra Cichocka attempts to find their motivations.
The study finds that epistemic motives are common across the board, the desire to find a reason for things for which their is very little information. Conspiracy theorists desire a world which is knowable, free from uncertainty, and without chaos. Under circumstance of incomplete information, theorists fill the void with whatever they see fit. From their perspective, they are privy to inside information.
There are also existential motives, the desire to feel safe because some malevolent force is in control of the situation. The study shows that people turn to conspiracy when they feel anxious and powerless. The theories exist as a sort of excuse to justify their lack autonomy. They believe that they do not succeed because an unreasonably powerful malevolent force is blocking them.
Many conspiracy theorists do so for social benefits, including to maintain or even promote their self or group image. Conspiracy theories are most common among those who feel that their group is under some threat from outside influence. This suggests that belief is inherently defensive, created to protect self image so as to avoid humiliation or shame.
Conspiracy theories come from groups and individuals who feel they are already alienated from society, so they create false narratives to justify their situation and explain their reality. This leads to mistrust of social institutions which causes a feedback loop of detachment from opposing groups, further alienating themselves from society.
Source:
[journals.sagepub.com]
Stars formed, planets coalesced, and on at least one of them life took root.
Through a long process of evolution this life developed into the human race.
Humans conquered fire, built complex societies and advanced technology .
All of that so we can argue about nothing.
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Not all conspiracy theories have this function, but they all, I believe, are based on the same fundamental human need: to not have to take personal responsibility and to face harsh reality.
Take Trump, for example, whom people often connect to conspiracy theories. Well, there was this conspiracy theory (which turned out to have zero evidence behind it) that Trump won because of the Russian interference in the election. Nobody ever managed to prove it, but many people still believe it. Why? Because the alternative - that their fellow Americans, ones they interact with every day, actually genuinely support someone who they personally find reprehensible - is too painful. Facing that alternative would mean admitting that the people around you are less like you than you realised, and that would, in turn, suggest that you have to alter your behavior and get out of your comfort zone to keep interacting with those people productively. Much easier to brush it off with "Russians did this" and "The alt-right brainwashed people", as that way one does not have to correct their prior paradigm about what Americans as a society are really like.
Same goes for, say, Flat-Earthers. If you interact with them for a bit, you will find that they do not know the most basic facts from science, ones most people learn in middle-school. Such ignorance obviously impairs their lives significantly, because in the modern world one has to have that knowledge to be able to function properly. But, again, learning it requires effort. It is much easier to say, "Well, all of this is just hogwash made by NASA", so you never have to open a physics book in your life and learn non-trivial material.
Interestingly enough, in the attempt to avoid having to put in effort, intellectual and emotional, people often end up putting far more effort into constructing a sophisticated conspiracy theory - and promoting it. We had a few people here on Debateisland in the past who would spend hours every day posting about "Flat Earth". If they just took a fraction of that time and spent it studying basic physics, they would have already made up for the gaps in their knowledge and never need to resort to conspiracy theories to begin with.
Humans are very irrational creatures, and acting in a way that harms our own interest is in our nature. Short-term pain in exchange for long-term gratification typically is regarded by us as less desirable, than short-term gratification resulting in long-term pain.
I especially like to illustrate this phenomenon with how most people approach asking out the person they really like. They will spend a lot of time around them, desperately trying to get closer to them. They will agonise for days, weeks, sometimes months, hoping that the relationship will just randomly begin at some point. Then the person they like finds a partner, and it all ends without ever beginning.
All that is required is one simple thing: to walk up to them and to tell them you really like them and if they would like to go out on a date with you. It is a very simple action that takes a few seconds and that anyone who can walk and speak can do. However, doing so requires putting oneself into a very short period of intense discomfort and uncertainty. Most people are too afraid of doing so, so they choose a tremendous amount of suffering throughout a long period of time, over a sharp jolt of pain followed either by a huge reward, or, at worst, by the state of contentment and peace.
We are truly bizarre creatures, are we not?
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What most people believe about conspiracy theories is that it is all made up. Some of it is, but the problem comes into play when someone tries to expose the truth about truly insidious activity done by say someone in government and all that has to be done to get people to look away is to label it conspiracy theory. This is sad.
However, there are those who will buy into the theory without evidence to even come close to being true. The flat-earthers I would say are in that circle.
At any rate, looking into something to find the truth is not running away from responsibility, but is taking a responsibility to investigate further.
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  Entity Sentiment Detection: Conspiracy Theories    homicide detective finds   flat-earthers   insidious activity  
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I guess it depends on what you consider a conspiracy theory. 99% of people believe Epstein didnt kill himself.
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  Entity Sentiment Detection: conspiracy theory    people   Epstein didnt kill    
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