How many people do you know with coronavirus right now? How many people do you know who have died from this virus? I'm willing to bet that those numbers are less than three. Now think about all of the media hype. Think about how the fake news media and the corrupt government is taking away your rights every day by telling you where you can and can't go, what you can and can't wear, and what you can and can't do just because of a virus with a 99% survival rate. Now consider the question "why is the government waiving restrictions on vaccine development to speed up the rate at which it will be available?" Does that seem safe to you? Why is Bill Gates involved in making these vaccines?? He's not a doctor last time I checked. Ready to have your mind blown? Look at these two maps.

Image from medium.com

They look very very similar don't they? One map is of coronavirus cases in the US. The other is a map of 5G towers in the US. Maybe it's a coincidence or maybe it's something bigger than that.

Do I have your attention now? Good. Let's talk about conspiracy theories.

At the outset of this article I want to make it clear that unless otherwise specified, the information and data I am using comes from a joint article titled "Understanding Conspiracy Theories" by Ang et al. which can be read in full here. The article was published in Advances in Political Psychology Vol. 40 in 2019 and is co-written by authors from the University of Kent, the University of Miami, and Oxford University.

Before going into why conspiracy theories are so enticing, and why they may be more dangerous today than ever before, it is first important to understand what a conspiracy theory is. Breaking down the term and defining each word individually may make it easier to fully understand exactly what a conspiracy theory is and why the ability to recognize a conspiracy theory is so important in today's world. First, a conspiracy can be broadly defined as a plot by powerful actors in an attempt to withhold secrets, seize political or economic power, or alter important institutions. The word theory, on the other hand, is defined by Merriam-Webster as being "an unproved assumption" or an "abstract thought". By combining the definitions of these two terms we come to understand that a conspiracy theory is an unproved assumption or abstract thought about a plot by powerful actors attempting to withhold secrets, seize power etc.

This definition is important to understand because in defining what a conspiracy theory is, one is able to define exactly why they are problematic: they are nothing more than an unproved assumption or an abstract thought. Because of this, many people shy away from the term when describing their own conspiratorial thoughts about major events like the moon landing or the coronavirus, even though these thoughts fit perfectly into the definition of a conspiracy theory. The term has become weaponized in political discourse and on social media by those who seek to discredit the thoughts of their opponents or to reinforce their own beliefs. In understanding the definition of a conspiracy theory, however, one is able to create a clearer distinction between what is and isn't true by examining whether the opinions of others fit within the context of "an unproved assumption or abstract thought" or if they can be supported by more than one reliable source of information, making them worthy of further investigation.

Now that the term conspiracy theory has been defined, and the importance of understanding that definition has been explained, I think it is perhaps equally significant to the discussion of conspiracy theories to recognize their appeal in today's world. There is a general consensus among the wider population that other people are more susceptible to believing conspiracy theories than oneself. However, a majority of Americans do believe in at least one conspiracy theory, and many others find some sort of appeal in at least one conspiracy theory if nothing else. Personally, I find myself drawn to the idea that Vincent Van Gogh's death was a murder, not a suicide and the theory that mattress stores are involved in some sort of money laundering scheme-I mean seriously why are there so many Mattress One stores? These theories, like most others, help to explain abnormal or extraordinary events in a way that establishes a pattern. Within humans there is an innate bias to seek explanations of equal significance and proportion to the event that they explain. This helps to explain why there are so many conspiracies about the deaths of celebrities and politicians like Elvis Presley, JFK and Princess Diana and major historical events like 9/11, the election of the first black President, and Brexit just to name a few. Human desire to both establish patterns to connect events and to seek proportional explanations for significant events leads to the appeal of conspiracy theories on a large scale. Additionally, the desire for there to be a grand explanation to explain grand events may explain why certain groups are more susceptible to believing conspiracy theories than others.

So why does this matter right now specifically? In the year 2020, major historical events have come in waves each seeming more incredible and unbelievable than the last. So far in the first half of this year, the President became only the third in history to be impeached, the Democratic primary played out to offer Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee, the coronavirus shook life as we knew it, race relations worsened to the point of nationwide protesting and riots, and most recently there has been an arrest of a child sex trafficker who claims to have ties to powerful politicians and whose accomplice died of an apparent suicide in jail just 11 months ago. Every single one of these events has at least one conspiracy theory tied to it: the deep state was conspiring to impeach Trump, Joe Biden was selected to be the nominee by the DNC before the primary even began, COVID-19 is a biological weapon/caused by 5G towers/a hoax by the government/an attempt to microchip people, protestors are radical and violent members of a secretive and threatening terrorist organization aiming to dismantle the government, and Ghislaine Maxwell is likely to meet the same fate as Jeffrey Epstein-murdered by elite members of public life like the Clintons who are threatened by her capture. You have likely seen or heard one or more of these conspiracy theories in recent months from comments on Facebook posts or from the mouth of a loved one, or maybe you believe these conspiracy theories yourself. It is important to note, though, that no matter how appealing these theories may be to them or to you they are nothing more than an unproved assumption or abstract thought. None of these theories are supported by evidence, and none of these theories hold water when held up to even the smallest amount of scrutiny. Today it is more important than ever to use critical thinking skills to analyze where the information you encounter online is coming from, whether or not it is feasible as a legitimate explanation for events taking place, and whether or not trusted and reliable sources are in consensus about the legitimacy of the information. Unfortunately in this technological age, people have the ability to create graphics, photoshop information or tweets, and even create fake videos of prominent political figures or celebrities saying things that support a specific conspiracy theory. The good news is that with heightened ability to create fake information comes the heightened ability to see what other trusted sources are saying and to fact check these conspiracies almost instantly. To know whether something you see online is real or fake, look for cited sources of information like what you read at the start of this article. Before sharing an article, read the entire thing; don't assume you understand the contents of the article just based on the title. Look for peer reviewed studies when sharing scientific information, and try to avoid the echo chamber that is confirmation bias when looking only for information that supports your preconceived notions about what is correct or truthful. Perhaps most importantly, before engaging with someone in your personal life or online about their belief in conspiracy theories, be respectful of their attempt to connect the dots themselves and try to find common ground to agree upon before suggesting that they reevaluate their thoughts about the feasibility and legitimacy of a specific conspiracy theory. For example, if someone were to believe that the coronavirus is a hoax created by the government to take away personal freedoms, a good way to challenge this belief would be to agree that coronavirus seems too unbelievable to be true, then to suggest that millions of people including doctors, nurses, local government officials, world government organizations and even private companies would all have to be in on the conspiracy for their theory about the coronavirus to be accurate. This technique may encourage them to think in a more analytical way while avoiding a perceived attack on their intelligence or ability to form rational thoughts. This technique has also shown promise in small scale studies researching the best ways to educate individuals about conspiracy theories.

Now more than ever it is important to be careful about information that you share online and in person. The risks of sharing these conspiracy theories are far-reaching and present the ability to impact more than just the opinions of a single individual. The ability of conspiracy theorists to infect the minds of wide swaths of people and to then motivate them to take political, social, or other action on these false narratives allows for the opportunity for widespread confusion, division, and hostility in a unique time in history that requires clarity, unity, and understanding between all of us.