The three themes of the flat-Earth theory When conspiracy theories are part of someone’s value system or world view, it is difficult to challenge them. News articles can be fact-checked, but personal beliefs cannot.

The problem arises when people internalise disinformation as part of their identity. People invest their identity into the group and are more willing to believe fellow allies rather than perceived opponents – a phenomenon that sociologists call neo-tribalism. People who are deeply attached to one side of a culture war are likely to wield any and all arguments (including truths, half-truths and opinions), if it helps them win. One strategy they use is to take sides in existing debates. We paid attention to their debating techniques to understand the structure of their arguments and how they make them appear rational. In a recent study, my colleague Tomas Nilsson at Linnaeus University and I analysed hundreds of YouTube videos in which people argue that the Earth is flat.

QAnon and the great replacement theory, for example, have proved deadly more than once.īy studying how flat Earthers talk about their beliefs, we can learn how they make their arguments engaging to their audience, and in turn, learn what makes disinformation spread online. Polling shows that there is an overlap between conspiracy theories, some of which can act as gateways for radicalisation.

Flat earth conspiracy