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CONSPIRACY SPREADERS WHO DON’T BELIEVE THEIR LIES  
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H. Colleen Sinclair
October 4, 2024
The Conversation
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_ Our research has found that some of the people sharing conspiracies
online don’t believe their own content. They are opportunists: the
extremists, the disinformants, the trolls, and the profiteers. _

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There has been a lot of research on the types of people who believe
conspiracy theories
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their reasons for doing so
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But there’s a wrinkle: My colleagues and I have found that there are
a number of people sharing conspiracies online who don’t believe
their own content.

They are opportunists. These people share conspiracy theories to
promote conflict, cause chaos, recruit and radicalize potential
followers, make money, harass, or even just to get attention.

There are several types of this sort of conspiracy-spreader trying to
influence you.

Coaxing conspiracists – the extremists

In our chapter of a new book on extremism and conspiracies, my
colleagues and I discuss evidence that certain extremist groups
intentionally use conspiracy theories
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to entice adherents. They are looking for a so-called “gateway
conspiracy [[link removed]]” that
will lure someone into talking to them, and then be vulnerable to
radicalization
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They try out multiple conspiracies to see what sticks.

Research shows that people with positive feelings for extremist groups
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to knowingly share false content online. For instance, the
disinformation-monitoring company Blackbird.AI [[link removed]]
tracked over 119 million COVID-19 conspiracy posts from May 2020, when
activists were protesting pandemic restrictions and lockdowns
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over 32 million tweets were identified as high on their manipulation
index. Those posted by various extremist groups were particularly
likely to carry markers of insincerity. For instance, one group, the
Boogaloo Bois, generated over 610,000 tweets, of which 58% were intent
on incitement and radicalization.

You can also just take the word of the extremists themselves. When the
Boogaloo Bois militia group
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showed up at the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, for example, members
stated they didn’t actually endorse the stolen election conspiracy,
but were there to “mess with
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the federal government.” Aron McKillips
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a Boogaloo member arrested in 2022 as part of an FBI sting, is another
example of an opportunistic conspiracist. In his own words: “I
don’t believe in anything. I’m only here for the violence.”

Combative conspiracists – the disinformants

Governments love conspiracy theories. The classic example of this is
the 1903 document known as the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion
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in which Russia constructed an enduring myth about Jewish plans for
world domination. More recently, China used artificial intelligence to
construct a fake conspiracy theory
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about the August 2023 Maui wildfire.

Often the behavior of the conspiracists gives them away. Years later,
Russia eventually confessed
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to lying about AIDS
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in the 1980s. But even before admitting to the campaign, its agents
had forged documents to support the conspiracy. Forgeries aren’t
created by accident. They knew they were lying.

As for other conspiracies it hawks, Russia is famous for taking both
sides in any contentious issue, spreading lies online to foment
conflict and polarization
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People who actually believe in a conspiracy tend to stick to a side.
Meanwhile, Russians knowingly deploy what one analyst has called a
“fire hose of falsehoods
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Likewise, while Chinese officials were spreading conspiracies about
American roots of the coronavirus
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in 2020, China’s National Health Commission was circulating internal
reports tracing the source to a pangolin
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Chaos conspiracists – the trolls

In general, research has found that individuals with what scholars
call a high “need for chaos” are more likely to indiscriminately
share conspiracies [[link removed]],
regardless of belief. These are the everyday trolls
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content for a variety of reasons, none of which are benevolent
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Dark personalities [[link removed]] and
dark motives are prevalent.

For instance, in the wake of the first assassination attempt on Donald
Trump, a false accusation arose online about the identity of the
shooter
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and his motivations. The person who first posted this claim knew he
was making up a name and stealing a photo. The intent was apparently
to harass
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the Italian sports blogger whose photo was stolen. This fake
conspiracy was seen over 300,000 times on the social platform X and
picked up by multiple other conspiracists eager to fill the
information gap about the assassination attempt.

Commercial conspiracists – the profiteers

Often when I encounter a conspiracy theory I ask: “What does the
sharer have to gain? Are they telling me this because they have an
evidence-backed concern, or are they trying to sell me something?”

When researchers tracked down the 12 people primarily responsible for
the vast majority of anti-vaccine conspiracies online, most of them
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had a financial investment in perpetuating these misleading
narratives.

Some people who fall into this category might truly believe their
conspiracy, but their first priority is finding a way to make money
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from it. For instance, conspiracist Alex Jones bragged that his fans
would “buy anything
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Fox News and its on-air personality Tucker Carlson publicized lies
about voter fraud in the 2020 election to keep viewers engaged, while
behind-the-scenes communications revealed they did not endorse
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what they espoused.

Profit
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doesn’t just mean money. People can also profit from spreading
conspiracies if it garners them influence or followers, or protects
their reputation. Even social media companies
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are reluctant to combat conspiracies because they know they attract
more clicks.

Common conspiracists – the attention-getters

You don’t have to be a profiteer to like some attention. Plenty of
regular people share content where they doubt the veracity, or know it
is false
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These posts are common: Friends, family and acquaintances share the
latest conspiracy theory with “could this be true?” queries or
“seems close enough to the truth” taglines. Their accompanying
comments show that sharers are, at minimum, unsure about the
truthfulness of the content, but they share nonetheless. Many share
without even reading
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past a headline. Still others, approximately 7% to 20%
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of social media users, share despite knowing the content is false.
Why?

Some claim to be sharing to inform people “just in case
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sort of “sound the alarm” reason actually isn’t that common
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Often, folks are just looking for attention or other personal benefit
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miss out [[link removed]] on a
hot-topic conversation. They want the likes and shares
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They want to “stir the pot
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Or they just like the message
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others that they share a common belief system.

For frequent sharers, it just becomes a habit
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The dangers of spreading lies

Over time, the opportunists may end up convincing themselves. After
all, they will eventually have to come to terms with why they are
engaging in unethical and deceptive, if not destructive, behavior.
They may have a rationale for why lying is good. Or they may convince
themselves that they aren’t lying by claiming they thought the
conspiracy was true all along.

It’s important to be cautious and not believe everything you read.
These opportunists don’t even believe everything they write – and
share. But they want you to. So be aware that the next time you share
an unfounded conspiracy theory, online or offline, you could be
helping an opportunist. They don’t buy it, so neither should you. Be
aware [[link removed]] before you share.
Don’t be what these opportunists derogatorily refer to as “a
useful idiot
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Conversation]

H. Colleen Sinclair
[[link removed]],
Associate Research Professor of Social Psychology, _Louisiana State
University
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This article is republished from The Conversation
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the original article
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* conspiracy theories
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* trolls
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* extremism
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* disinformation
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