COSPIRACY THEORY

In today's ScienceTimes (NYT) there's an article about the psychology of conspiracy theorists by Benedict Carey titled “A Theory About Conspiracy Theories.” Among many intersting things it says that about a third of us think the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exxaggerated the threat of Covid-19 to undermine Trump. 

Guess who they'll be voting for?

Apparently we like conspiracy theories more now that we are in pandemic. Not that beliefs such as therse are new. In early times, in smaller communities, looking for these theories was a life-saver. But what is new is the widespread belief in THE BIG LIE, ie, that the "official story" is just made up to promote the interests of shadowy powerful groups. This can apply to anything. In THE RABBIT HOLE, the NYT limited-episode podcast about how the Internet, especially YouTube, sucks people deeper into whatever they already seem intersted in. The result is that rather than aerating your thinking with a wide rancge of opinion, it funnels you more and more narrowly into the areas you already selected. It is not neccessary. There could be healthier algorithms, but this is good business for YouTube.A former alforithm-creator who left youTube for this very reason, offers her experience and a good analysis of how it happens and why.

If the promotion of conspiracy theories is good business for YouTube, and we can extrapolate to the rest of social media.

According the the Times article, estimates are that over half of us believe in at least one discredited theory, and that may be understating it. 

There are a few personality types that really go for these theories. The Injustice Collector is, "Impulsive and overconfident, eager to expose naivete in everyone but him or herself."

Another may be an anxious, lonesome, perhaps older and isolated person, likely with a touch of real pathology.

Sudden illness may make us want to blame drug companies, for example, and now with the virus, we have a perfect storm making us want to discredit the purveyors of bad news, scientists and doctors. The fear itself is a distraction, reducing our likelihood of examining the accuracy of what we read online.

All this is very interesting, and I reccommend the article, and the study, "Looking under the Tinfoil Hat." Its posted online in THE JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY. 

A tidbit I found interesting was one question designed to identify a narcissist: "I often have to deal with people who are less important than me."

All that being said, I think these scholarly researchers have overlooked a very big reason that folks like conspiracy theories.  IT'S FUN!

I know several very smart people who believe in conspiracy theories from fluoride to vaccines to Roswell. They are having fun. It’s fun being in the know. Even more when they are among the few who are clued in.

It’s fun plotting out graphs and tables and arguments for things only a few are privy to.

It’s fun to bethe center of attention at a party with a simple conspiracy explanation of various phenomena, especially when most of us are caught flat-footed trying to explain the same things rationally.

It’s fun to blame specific groups with simple ideas, especially when compared to real work—the real work of maintaining our democracy.

Conspiracy theories are fun.