Understanding the Spread of Conspiracy Theories During the COVID-19 Pandemic- Psychological, Social Structural, and Social Media Influences
When society is in crises like the coronavirus pandemic, conspiracy theories tend to thrive in these environments of great fear, low trust, and low confidence. According to De Coninck et al., exposure to conspiracy theories regarding diseases is linked to lower intentions to get vaccinated, low trust levels in health institutions and the government, and low willingness to follow restrictive measures to curtail further pandemic propagation. Individuals tend to believe in conspiracy theories if they align with their cultural beliefs or worldviews and fail to evaluate them deeply to gain the truth. Similarly, social media is a key platform through which misinformation and conspiracy theories can be spread due to how quickly information spreads through social media platforms. Through social media, individuals interact in private groups with peers and role models whose views are highly regarded; therefore, misinformation or conspiracy theories can be easily believed by people using such platforms.
De Coninck et al. argue that a high level of trust can moderate exposure to information sources regarding misinformation and conspiracy beliefs in such sources. Accordingly, there should be more pressure on trusted sources to provide truthful information and label misinformation as false. For instance, Twitter does an excellent job of labeling such information to prevent individuals from believing in it (CNBC). The government and the news industry need to encourage professional and independent journalism to enhance trust in the audiences and report any disinformation and fake news (West). In addition, it is important to ask friends and family who believe in conspiracy theories to have an open mind, assess the information from various angles, and be objective in their thinking. Keeping an open mind, validating the truthfulness of the source of information and relying on traditional and trustworthy media sources can help me lessen exposure to misinformation beliefs and trust in conspiracy theories.
Works Cited
CNBC. Why People Believe Covid-19 Conspiracies. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaYfoGwH33I. Accessed 19 Apr 2022.
De Coninck, David, et al. “Beliefs in conspiracy theories and misinformation about COVID-19: Comparative perspectives on the role of anxiety, depression and exposure to and trust in information sources.” Frontiers in Psychology 12 (2021).
West, Darrell. “How to Combat Fake News and Disinformation”. Brookings, 2017, https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-to-combat-fake-news-and-disinformation/.
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Question 
Watch the CNBC report on the spread of conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What does the report reveal about the psychological and social structural factors that influence the spread of conspiracy theories? What about the role of social media? Connect the video to ideas and concepts from Chapter 13.
Understanding the Spread of Conspiracy Theories During the COVID-19 Pandemic- Psychological, Social Structural, and Social Media Influences
What, if anything, can we do to reduce the influence of misinformation and disinformation on the public? How might we respond to friends and family who believe conspiracy theories? How do we stop ourselves from being swayed by such ideas?