In modern society, which is flooded by new information technology and has seen the birth of social media platforms as outlets for information transmission, there has been a tremendous increase in concern about conspiracy theories (CTs). Researchers point out that investigating these elements is critical because they are complex and composed of cognitive, social and psychological elements. The research paper will explore the roles of individual characteristics such as mistrust in authorities and adherence to solemnity, the impact on psychological structure brought about by social media conspiracies, pattern recognition and confirmation bias. In this way, it will illuminate the problem area and reduce the negative influence exerted by social media upon society. Widely speaking, this paper’s research question is to explore widely how conspiracy theories impact social behaviour among people.
Understanding the speed and effects of conspiracies in social behaviour means understanding how ideas shape opinions, judgments, and attitudes. This work further engages scholars from various fields to understand how and why social media has become such a major player in modern conspiracy theories (Bose, 2023). More significantly, the research results will help the public see how fear, polarization, and emotions shape social behaviour at the individual level, which only then makes people susceptible to believing conspiracies on social media.
In addition, the research question is significant as it looks at digital technologies and reflects on how they interact positively or negatively with conspiracy theories in an increasingly complex digital environment (Enders et al., 2023). Some research findings have focused on technological literacy regarding where to look for reliable sources of information online and how to accept what you hear from verified or checked sources so that the public receives information about how not to fall into seductive conspiracy theories.
Definitions and clarifications of key terms:
- Conspiracy Theories: This proposition attempts to account for an event or state of affairs by appealing to a deliberate act or circumstance pointlessly. It is common for many people to encounter several conspiracy theories every day and accept them at face value without further inquiry or due diligence. Conspiracy theories exploit man’s natural predisposition to look for a higher meaning or hidden pattern in things. These pleas and impulses evoke particular feelings that make people believe in them and allow them to spread.
- Social media ranges from Facebook, Twitter, Skype and TikTok to Instagram; people can now not only create and share but also exchange ideas across the world.
- Democratic impulses: That is to say, due to the openness of social media, everyone can create and share information cheaply, quickly and widely across different platforms. Unlike traditional media, this democratic impulse allows people to pass information freely.
Argument 1: Social media is a phenomenon that changed the landscape of contemporary politics.
It is unarguable that the proliferation of social media in contemporary society has changed the complexion of modern politics and promoted sympathy for conspiracy theories. Technology and social media have a profound impact on our contemporary society. Interpersonal communication, worldwide exploration, and the distribution of vast information–the Internet provides all this. People keep in touch with their friends and relatives all day long. Even a little click can spread misinformation. With so many people worldwide using smartphones, conspiracy theories spread right and left.
Some believe that social media promotes healthy learning and critical thinking; others claim that the proliferation of technology and social media has made it easier to spread conspiracy theories. The reasons are many. One is the speed with which information can be transmitted; another is that paranoid theories seem to reside within specific communities or cultures as thought patterns; and a third is that social media algorithms and strategies are conducive to spreading such theories. The development of journalism and user-generated content has contrasted with legitimate news sources and deceptive organizations broadcasting misleading information more evident each day. Such spurious, misleading articles are spread around the world by individuals. More and more people end up perceiving and accepting them without critical thought.
As a result, this also quickens media information to spread worldwide, making it easier for people to believe. Whole generations in specific communities live by a single theory of conspiracy. This ideology strengthens the roots of pre-existing conspiracy theories while vastly expanding the range of people and communities who believe these things. The connection between conspiracy theories and democratic impulses must be established. However, social media allows individuals to use information and share platforms freely. Conspiracy theories spread quickly.
In addition, social media as a source of information and the increasing prevalence of conspiracy theories detract from democracy. Democracy is a river with conspiracy thinking. The spread of conspiracy beliefs about democracy leads to polarization and fragmentation (US & Mikhail, 2023). This is mainly because social media algorithms emphasize showing users what they want to see, inadvertently promoting echo chambers.
Thus, social media users primarily receive information from sources that correspond with their political beliefs. They are, at the same time, becoming ever more opinionated while not exposing themselves to alternative perspectives they might gain from reliable sources regarding what democratic values mean. The echo chamber effect will exacerbate political polarization, encouraging a mindset of confrontation towards any other democratic idea. It divides society and isolates ideological groups within it (How Dangerous Is Digital Media for Democracy? 2022).
Moreover, the narrow social media environments provide a claustrophobic atmosphere, so users rarely come into contact with different political discourses and ideologies. The result is that under democratic rule, people are less capable of making decisions based on better-informed facts than before. In today’s changing democratic environments, the more politicians and political parties are informed, well-informed and knowledgeable citizens who correctly understand politics, constantly engaged in constructive debate but open to multiple approaches to governance–the greater the likelihood that these principles will carry meaning for all citizens regardless of their political affiliation.
According to statistics from research and experience, it is clear that if citizens’ self-serving political positions are exacerbated by social media conspiracy, the result will be a polarized society. A divided populace cannot convene programs necessary for a consensus of informed decisions in democratic governance (Enders et al., 2023). This polarization, in turn, breeds a climate of mutual mistrust between citizens and their leaders. While the latter may strive to design policies that will address the multifaceted needs of an increasingly diverse population, policy implementation is hindered by mistrust and even outright animosity as social media shapes public democratic discourse.
Argument 2: Social Media inflates people’s beliefs in their information and intellectual prowess
Social media exaggerates an individual’s confidence in his intellect and information until you have a society not only permeated by conspiracy fever but also one where everyone thinks he is an expert when they rarely know a thing about reality. This leads to extreme levels of ego and trust in the conspiracy theories. Social media platforms use various techniques and algorithms to seek content that readers will find interesting. When a platform can guess the individual’s likes according to what they like or how long they look at a post, it recommends related posts and videos.
In principle, such a system could exacerbate prejudice and expose readers to only one side of the story. (Guernsey, 2000). As such, this way of gathering data also contributes to an echo chamber effect, where people are constantly exposed to facts that confirm what they already believe. The more people understand the extent of such misdirection, the easier they become to manipulate, and their ability to evaluate information gradually diminishes.
Faced with the fast-changing landscape of technology and rising reliance on artificial intelligence, people will have an ever more difficult time separating natural from bogus information. There is legitimate concern in artificial intelligence about the spread of misinformation. Through the use of deepfake technology, a video containing the president’s speech can be transformed. Whether by human or AI modification, it is used to spread false information and increasingly popular ideas.
Two complementary processes underlie all human judging. One procedure is done intuitively and quickly, relying on intuition instead of reflected deliberation (Linguistic threat activates the human amygdala n. d). The other approach is more intentional, leisurely and systematic. It cannot rely on instinct, nor does it have a risk of making errors produced by preconceptions and biases or misreading emotions that occur together (Bose, 2023). The Overinflated Ego Raised by Social Media Conspiracy Theories Makes People Argue with Scientists and Empirical Evidence at a High Level of Confidence about how to analyze information spread across the digital platform.
Moreover, the nature of social media is that it disseminates conspiracy theories in compressed form and speedily, so digital age users need help distinguishing fact from fiction. This shows that conspiracy theories spread faster and more efficiently than authentic or accurate news (Pytlik et al., 2020). Some people argue that technology and social media are not to blame for the spread of conspiracy theories. Therefore, these ideas are springing up through the collective actions of society.
While these theories may have some basis in reality, because social media lacks much of the formality seen on TV or in print that stopped shoddy articles and wild claims from spreading, uninformed folks can read them without having to do any further research (Douglas et al., 207). Falling prey to mistaken beliefs presents various dangers, spilling over into personal behaviour and creating absurdity of devastating proportions throughout society.
Argument 3: Technology and social media’s influence on people
Social media influence affects people’s psychological health. In fact, through conspiracy theories spread on social media, the information creates anxiety and paranoia in everyone. This is because digital platforms are cutting (aggressive) channels where anyone can hide behind the monitor and share paranoid information to alarm people worldwide, as we saw with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first identified in Wuhan province, China, at the end of 2019. The disease quickly spread and was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic on January 30, 2020.
Another theory put forward during the outbreak was that China had deliberately created the virus as a biological weapon to bring down the US economy. Thirty per cent or so of Americans think that China either intentionally or incidentally developed it in a laboratory setting and then released it (Radoiu, 2020). It is also academically backed and accepted by many Americans that the Wuhan Institute of Virology has its roots in Beijing’s Covert bio-weapons program. Other conspiracy theories indicate that the Chinese people’s virus originated in a zoonotic virus seen in bats, with its genetic sequence having an environmental source. In the testing of human Coronavirus, it was discovered that this genetic lineage would vary and undergo mutations as it passed from one individual to another. Social media users suggested that the higher death rate caused by this disease among the elderly is evidence that it was produced to kill certain people, fuelling international waves of fear and anxiety. (Stecula & Pickup 2021)
When the transmission and mortality rates in China appeared to be dropping while skyrocketing overseas, a new conspiracy theory was born. Because of this correlation, there was speculation that either China knew how to control the virus or its government was holding back on data. According to statistics on new cases of COVID-19 from Worldometer, China’s reported infections they had a significant and complete fall. In an alarming video spreading across social media, people were accused of falsifying death certificates and sowed rumours that they could go to court. This resulted in Americans not taking preventative measures against the spread of the virus, which led to the country recording a mortality rate at its peak second only to Italy.
Moreover, there are many other conspiracy theories regarding COVID-19. For example, some people believe that Bill Gates’ plan to deploy 5G networks is behind the spread of the disease; others think that US military personnel introduced it into China or even that COVID-19 has been created by evil forces working from within the deep state or government circles themselves. These conspiracy theories can look convincing, especially since they are backed up by the proliferation of evidence through social media.
Conclusion
In the digital world, the link between social media and conspiracy theories is becoming more and more of a problem. Recognizing the role of social media in influencing society, our research question focuses on what factors contribute to conspiracy theories. The research question is interesting since we hope the results will show how fear and sentiment play a role in stimulating carnivorous tendencies, thus helping explain why people are so susceptible to accepting what they read on social media. Increasing numbers of democracy-related conspiracy theories allow the polarization and fragmentation characteristic of the division among groups with differing political opinions and ideologies to flourish. Principles good for the whole people can be drawn up only through political and democratic decision-making by well-informed and knowledgeable citizens who take a multifaceted approach to governance.
Polarization further creates an atmosphere of mistrust between people and the authorities, thus stifling consensus-building over policies to meet community needs. Also, social media conspiracy information has an increasing effect of producing the phenomenon of an echo chamber in which people persistently receive information that reinforces their opinion and excludes any other point of view. Social media conspiracy theories have made people so confident about their ability to analyze information transmitted through the net that they can even fight with scientists and flatter themselves.
As the outbreak began, one conspiracy theory had it that China, on purpose, developed this virus as some bioweapon to destabilize the US economy. Most of those people believed it. The research results show that social media is king when disseminating conspiracy theories and how this affects democracy and people’s lives. The research is an illuminating revelation to the government, allowing it to implement policies to thwart conspiracies spread across social media platforms. Besides, it urges social media users to evaluate the information they see on the web carefully, lest they unwittingly forward untruths.
References
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https://joyboseroy.medium.com/neuroscience-and-conspiracy-theories-1f1ae0783166
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