Conspiracy Theories and the Quest for Truth | Rachel Runnels | TEDxTexasStateUniversity

[Music] in 2009 Time magazine published a list of the ten most popular conspiracy theories in America this list includes some that you might be familiar with such as a theory that we never actually landed on the moon or that there really are aliens in area 51 this list also includes some that you might not be familiar with such as the suspected second shooter in the JFK assassination or the theory that Paul McCartney actually died in 1966 and was replaced by a look like personally I am fascinated by conspiracy theories I love reading about them I

love watching documentaries about them I love listening to podcasts about them and graduate school I even wrote my master's thesis about them what fascinates me the most though is that conspiracy theories still exist even when we have access to so much information today we are going to take a look into two reasons why conspiracy theories continue to be so pervasive but before we really dive in let's define what a conspiracy theory actually is psychologist van der linden defined a conspiracy theory as an attempt to explain the ultimate cause of an important societal event as part

of some sinister plot conjured up by a secret alliance of powerful individuals and organizations so NASA never really went to the moon the US government orchestrated 9/11 and the Beatles covered up Paul's death right so now we're on the same page let's jump into our first reason why conspiracy theories are still so pervasive the first reason is pretty simple and it comes down to the internet over the past thirty years the amount of information we have access to has exploded the floodgates have opened and we are drowning in information so we have to pick and

choose what information we see and what information we process we tend to put blind trust in sources that might not be credible just because we saw them on conspiracy theories are built on information that might not be credible but is packaged to look trustworthy take fake news for example fake news as misinformation that spreads like wildfire on social media which is a perfect platform because it's easily accessible but almost impossible to effectively regulate for example if I were to tweet say breaking Buckingham Palace confirms Queen of England is a direct descendent of Dracula and format

it like a CNN tweet it'll probably give some traction online and I might even start my own conspiracy theory so it's no wonder why conspiracy theories are able to spread so quickly online and are able to find their target audience believe it or not there's a lot of research out there on what makes someone more likely to believe in a conspiracy theory research tells us that conspiracy believers have a high need for uniqueness which just means that they like to be different and cool they like the ability to claim membership to a small and exclusive

community research also tells us that conspiracy believers tend to feel unrepresented in traditional forms of authority it's a lot easier to believe that the government is lying about the existence of aliens when you already don't believe anything that the government says so with the internet being our first reason what about the second second reason why conspiracy theories are still so powerful is because they are based on narratives let me explain narrative theory centers on the idea that people are drawn to story telling stories are fun we love learning about them we love sharing them we

love learning from them every culture is based in stories for my personal research on conspiracy theories I focused on analyzing the language that is used when they are discussed and shared online in the name of research I have joined several conspiracy organizations I get regular updates on Flat Earth research and a monthly newsletter about UFO sightings across the country and in looking at all of this communication I noticed a lot of similarities between the organization's the language that they use seems to take the reader on a journey one that seemed very familiar to me how

many of you have heard of the hero's journey these lights are very bright so I'm assuming that not everyone has their hands raised so for those of you who are not familiar the hero's journey was created by Joseph Campbell in 1949 and it is a collection of archetypes that appear in stories throughout human history Campbell identified seventeen steps and several basic archetypes that create a basic storytelling structure where the hero receives a call to adventure they leave what is known and comfortable receive guidance from a mentor faced challenges and temptations find whatever they are looking

for and are transformed as a result sound familiar without even thinking too hard I can give you thousands of examples Harry Potter Star Wars The Odyssey men in black every superhero origin story ever follows this format and it's so persuasive because it's so unconsciously familiar to us and in looking at the language of these conspiracy organizations three of Campbell's archetypes really stood out to me the hero the mentor and the shadow when you come into contact with the new conspiracy theory you have to make the decision whether you would like to learn more about it

or not many conspiracy organizations and theorists use language that position you the reader as the hero for example the Flat Earth Society which has over 5,000 registered members myself being one of them has an official website that states that the reader should expect to find the skepticism and dog and understanding needed to break free from the dogmatic thinking and brave the pioneering waters of true science and learning very narrative language right the mutual UFO network which has over five four thousand registered members says that one of their organization's goals is to educate the public on

alien encounters and UFO sightings but it is for you to decide if you believe theorists and organizations can give you information but you are the one with the decision-making power you are the hero in their narrative conspiracy theorists and organizations take on the role of the mentor you know the mentor as Dumbledore Morpheus obi-wan they have the knowledge and the experience needed to guide you the hero on your personal journey for example 9/11 truth org which is a website dedicated to exposing the US government's involvement in 9/11 describes themselves as a small group of committed

truth advocates who have worked tirelessly over the years to compile a accurate historical record they have information no one else does and they are offering it to you for use in your own journey so you can overcome challenges and temptations and challenges and temptations take form in the role of the shadow you know the shadow as Voldemort maleficent Thanos and the conspiracy narrative the shadow is traditional belief in authority organizations I mean think about it to believe that the earth is flat you have to ignore everything that NASA stands for to believe that the Holocaust

never happened you have to discredit historical canon conspiracy theorists and organizations present these beliefs as the shadow so it's something you have to overcome in order to find the real truth I've compiled these three archetypes together to create what I call the quest for truth you the reader are called to question your beliefs you receive guidance from a mentor who gives you information to help you overcome the shadow traditional belief in authority organization after that you're able to find real truths and you are transformed as a result you return back to your comfortable space a

changed person who regularly attends Flat Earth meetings so why are conspiracy theories still so persuasive one we haven't gotten good yet at separating real news from fake news and two conspiracy theorists are really good at telling stories it's important to know why these theories are still so persuasive so that next time you are confronted with one you're able to better defend against misinformation and misleading storytelling it is just as important to know when to answer the call to adventure as it is to know when you should just hang up thank you [Applause]