A big reason the idea is gaining momentum globally is that the benefits for the health of individuals, communities and the environment are clear and almost immediate.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg prepares to testify in Washington DC, in 2018 concerning revelations about the company’s sharing data with Cambridge Analytica, a consulting firm linked to Donald Trump.
Chip Somodevilla/AFP
Mark Zuckerberg says he wants the world to be more “open and connected”, but his decision to block archiving the company’s social media content argues otherwise.
Chris Wilson, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
A new book examining New Zealand’s extreme and alt-right movements tackles an important issue. But it could have defined its terms better and provided more evidence for its claims.
A QAnon supporter stands outside the White House.
Orlowski Designs LLC/Shutterstock
Conspiracy beliefs can be motivators for actual or attempted violence against specific people, places, and organisations. What should, and shouldn’t, police do to counter them?
A man holding a Q sign waits in line to enter a Donald Trump rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Matt Rourke
Voters mostly did not cast their ballots for chief election administration officials who deny the 2020 election. But the hyperpartisan trend could further erode trust in elections.
No, Avril Lavigne isn’t dead – the science behind conspiracy theories.
A Ukrainian serviceman inspects a classroom with a sign ‘Z’ on the door used by Russian forces in the retaken area of Kapitolivka, Ukraine, Sept. 25, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin spread an outlandish conspiracy theory to justify military invasion of Ukraine.
(AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Many conspiracy theories and disinformation are rooted in antisemitic tropes which spread harm and undermine our democratic institutions.
When asked to recall the popular children’s book series ‘The Berenstain Bears,’ many people make the same error by spelling it ‘The Berenstein Bears.’
Stephen Osman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
People are puzzled when they learn they share the same false memories with others. That’s partly because they assume that what they remember and forget ought to be based only on personal experience.
A man holds a QAnon sign outside the White House. Even if most people don’t act on their conspiratorial beliefs, such theories can still pose very real dangers.
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Many of those who believe conspiracy theories do not necessarily act on those beliefs. Nevertheless, conspiracy theories can still spread dangerous misinformation that can cause harm.
Lies don’t have to spread far to cause problems.
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