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What is a conspiracy theory?
Conspiracy means that people get together in secret. These people are called conspirators. They want to achieve a common goal. However, the goal often harms other people, so they keep it secret. A conspiracy theory is an assumption about such a conspiracy.
In a conspiracy theory, there are assumptions and thoughts about how something could have happened. There are assumptions about what a group of conspirators might have done or planned.
People who believe in a conspiracy theory are also called conspiracy theorists.
There is a well-known conspiracy theory about the first moon landing, for example, which states that the first landing on the moon did not take place. The film footage of the moon landing was made in a film studio. But that is wrong. There are satellite images on which the landing sites of the astronauts can be seen. You can also see materials that were left behind during the landing.
A conspiracy theory mixes reality and invented facts.
How can you recognise conspiracy theories?
Conspiracy theorists ask:
Who has benefited from something? If they have found someone, they believe that they are to blame. Sometimes certain people are also said to be guilty! An example: In many shops you are now supposed to pay with a debit card. You are supposed to pay without cash. Some conspiracy theorists therefore say that powerful people in the financial world have always wanted to take cash away from us. They are now achieving their goal because you are supposed to pay with a debit card. Therefore, these people from the financial world are to blame for the coronavirus.
Conspiracy theorists think that those who profit from a crisis must be to blame.
Another conspiracy theory says that Bill Gates is responsible for the coronavirus. He and his wife Melinda Gates are said to have created the coronavirus. They want to rule the world and control humanity through compulsory vaccinations.
Bill Gates is very rich. He founded the computer company Microsoft. He has been campaigning for health protection for many years. For example, he has given a lot of money to the World Health Organisation.
Conspiracy theorists believe that he is only doing this to rule the world and to make a lot of money from vaccines. Some conspiracy theorists also believe that Bill Gates wants to misuse the fast mobile internet 5G. They believe that he wants to use it to control people. In this conspiracy theory, Bill Gates is the bad guy.
However, it is often impossible to make a clear distinction between good and evil. Many things have both good and bad sides. Many things have different sides. They are complex. Opinions and decisions are also complex. Opinions have good and bad sides. Decisions can harm some people and the same decision can benefit other people. Conspiracy theories do not take this into account. They make a clear distinction between good and evil. Conspiracy theorists say:
- There are conspirators who are evil.
- There are victims who are good.
Conspiracy theories therefore simplify difficult questions.
Most conspiracy theories have these three characteristics:
1. nothing happens by chance, everything was planned
A group of conspirators acts in secret.
2. nothing is as it seems
You only realise what is really going on when you recognise the secret group. This group has planned everything. When problems arise and questions are asked, conspiracy theorists give similar answers. They say that there is a secret plan behind the conspirators' group.
3 Everything is connected
Institutions and people work together that you would never have thought.
These characteristics also show that conspiracy theories cannot be true:
1. there are coincidences in our world.
2. not everything in our world can be explained very simply.
3. not all events in our world are connected.
Why do people believe in conspiracy theories?
People feel the need to explain things in the world. But some things are difficult or even impossible to explain. For example, the coronavirus crisis is difficult to explain. The coronavirus crisis can therefore be frightening. Many things can cause fear. Conspiracy theories always provide simple explanations for difficult topics. So they can take away some people's fear. Or they can give them a sense of security. People then have the feeling that they know what's going on and have found an explanation. Or they have found someone to blame through the conspiracy theory. Although this reduces fear, it is a false sense of security.
Some conspiracy theories are harmless: if you don't believe in the moon landing, you don't endanger those around you.
But other conspiracy theories can also cause fear. For example, they can cause fear of the supposed group of conspirators or the end of the world. These conspiracy theories then harm the people who believe in them.
Some conspiracy theories are also dangerous for many people. For example, some people are against vaccination. Conspiracy theorists spread the false theory that vaccination causes autism. If many people believe in this theory, perhaps many people will no longer have their children vaccinated. Dangerous diseases, such as measles, can then spread more quickly.
If people believe that the corona crisis does not exist, this can also be dangerous. These people then don't follow the precautionary measures. They don't wash their hands as often and don't keep their distance. This puts themselves and other people at risk.
People are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories if they are unable to deal with uncertainty. The theories then provide security. During the coronavirus crisis, many people feel insecure. Nobody knows exactly how the coronavirus crisis will continue. That's why conspiracy theories are appealing to many people at the moment.
People feel the need to explain things in the world. However, some things are difficult or even impossible to explain and can be frightening. Conspiracy theories always provide simple explanations for difficult topics.
People feel the need to explain things in the world to themselves. However, some things are difficult or impossible to explain and can cause anxiety. Conspiracy theories always provide simple explanations for difficult topics. (© Pexels )
Where do conspiracy theories come from?
There are three reasons why someone invents or spreads a conspiracy theory:
1. some people believe they have discovered an important piece of information.
They want to do something good for the world. They think they are helping other people with their conspiracy theory. They are convinced of their conspiracy theory themselves.
2. some people make or spread theories because of their political views
They often do not believe in the theory themselves. For example, they invent a theory that says: citizens of a country should be exchanged for refugees. So perhaps some citizens of the country are then against refugees. Such theories are often supported by right-wing or racist groups.
3. some people spread theories in order to make money.
They spread conspiracy theories on YouTube, for example. They then earn money from advertising when many people click on their page. Or people spread conspiracy theories and then sell remedies that are supposed to help against something. Some people spread the false theory that the government is mixing poison into the drinking water. They then sell pills that are supposed to help against the poison. However, the tablets are useless and sometimes even harmful. These three reasons can also be combined. People who believe in a conspiracy theory may also want to make money from it. People who have invented a conspiracy theory may eventually believe in it themselves.
How do you deal with people who are convinced of a conspiracy theory?
Some people firmly believe in a particular conspiracy theory. In such cases, it no longer helps to say: "What you believe is a conspiracy theory." Rather, it can help to ask:
"Where does your information come from?"
"Why do you believe that?"
"Why do you believe a certain author over others?"
Perhaps the person will then think about it and eventually believe less in the conspiracy theory.
It's different for people who don't believe in conspiracy theories at all or just a little. You can explain to them how conspiracy theories work and which ones there are. We have tried to do this in this article.
Where can you find information?
There are many fact-checks on certain TV channels and on the internet.
Once you have fact-checked a theory, you will know better. You can then say something against a conspiracy theory in conversations, in news apps or on the internet. Or you can ask people why they believe in a certain theory. This way, more and more people will know what conspiracy theories are and what can be done about them.
