Why do people get sucked into conspiracy theories? Gresham College lecture to explore the reasons
Professor Peter Knight to unpack decades of research when he gives a lecture on Thursday, 14 November, online and in central London
Moon landings, 9/11, Covid, elections, the Manchester Arena bombings, airplane exhaust fumes … all have been subject to scepticism from some as to what actually happened.
In recent years, there seems to have been an explosion in conspiracy theories, including Donald Trump’s unproven claims of a stolen election in 2020, and people saying Covid-19 was just a cold.
Professor Peter Knight is to bring together decades of research when he delivers a lecture at Gresham College this week. In it, he will argue that conspiracy theories are a symptom rather than the cause of a collapse of trust in civic institutions.
They emerge from a context of broader deficits and structural drivers in our political, economic, and media environments.
He said: “Conspiracy theories are commonly thought of either as harmless, outlandish nonsense picked up by elderly family members through social media, or ticking timebombs sown by hostile foreign agents to destroy our democracy.
“The truth is more complicated.
“This lecture will explore issues such as the ‘conspiracy loop’, a self-perpetuating feedback loop in which conspiracy theories are generated and disseminated, and the role that democratic distrust plays in amplifying them.”
It is commonly argued that the internet has fuelled their popularity, leading to a loss of faith in mainstream media, science, democracy and even truth itself. But what if the rise of conspiracy theories is a symptom rather than the cause of a collapse of trust in civic institutions?
Have people turned to conspiracy theories because of their individual psychological make-up, and their emotions have been manipulated by social media algorithms, or because populist politicians have weaponised these ready-made narratives in the service of the ‘culture wars’?
Professor Knight will explore the roots and nuances of conspiracy theories and their relation to potentially legitimate political grievances, and consider common assumptions about the creation, circulation and consumption of conspiracy theories today.
It will be given at Gresham College’s base in Barnard’s Inn Hall, Holborn, London.
Starting at 6pm on Thursday, 14 November, entry is free, and it is also broadcast live online. It will last an hour.
In-person places can be booked online via Gresham College’s website, https://www.gresham.ac.uk/whats-on/conspiracy-theories
Image: Unsplash
