Conspiracy, powerful and persistent, can wreak havoc on society. In recent years, the fringe ideas Gunman forced to storm a Washington, pizzeria and others may have motivated fatal shooting 11 worshipers in a synagogue in Pittsburgh. They are also largely blamed for an overall increase in cases of measles that more people in the United States in the first half of 2019 than it did in a whole year since 1994. Now ill, says the FBI conspiracy “very likely” inspired interior terrorists undertake criminal and sometimes violent acts and “very likely to arise spread and evolve” on the Internet platforms, obtained after an intelligence report from Yahoo News. The document, on May 30 at the Phoenix area office of the FBI first of its kind, the threat-driven conspiracy to investigate extremist even the presidential election of 2020, says fuel likely conspiracy theories are perhaps motivate domestic extremists, subscribe . “It ‘s increasingly clear that many, many people believe in it, and have negative results,” says Swami virus, a professor of social psychology at Anglia Ruskin University in the UK, the number of studies published in the plot. Millions of people around the world, including an estimated half of the US population believe in conspiracy theories. Today that number may be even higher, according to political scientists and psychologists who study the phenomenon. As researchers, these trends have not followed over time, it is difficult to determine whether the number of people who believe in conspiracy theories, has increased over the years. But experts, and now the FBI, claiming an average person is certainly increased our exposure to them, because conspiracy theories are now spreading largely on social media easier. Among the most prominent vendors of misinformation on social media, experts say, is chairman Donald Trump. Falsehood promoted again and again, using his personal Twitter account more than 100 times to voice concerns about the negative effects of climate change, as opposed to an overwhelming consensus among scientists Trump. Trump, the more than 63 million followers on Twitter, has also spent years pushing the wrong story that former US president Barack Obama was not born in America. More recently, according to Jeffrey Epstein apparent suicide in a Trump federal prison unconfirmed theory retweeted who proposed the death of the well-connected financier who was accused of child sex trafficking and conspiracy, was suspicious and somehow connected to the former President Bill Clinton, If Tuesday asked by reporters if he thinks that the conspiracy theory that promoted it, said Trump has “no idea”, but added that Clinton was a “good friend” Epstein, was the private in terms of Epstein and perhaps private Caribbean island called Epstein, the locals reportedly “pedophile island.” Clinton spokesman Angel Urena called the claim “ridiculous and, of course, is not true.” “Conspiratorialist the ledge of the last 10 years is now the US president” the researcher says Harvard University’s Joseph vitriol, studied political psychology. “The impact and dissemination of these beliefs are what we might see is increased.” In 2016, he broke out as a Washington gunman, DC pizzeria, had mistakenly believe children in a Hillary Clinton sex trade ring idea fringe by an anonymous user known as “Q”, which promotes Trump propagated led were captured. Thousands of people, including actor Roseanne Barr believe or accept uncorroborated Q reflections that began on the controversial message board 4chan. Platforms like YouTube and Facebook have also given rise to conspiracy theories and many go viral permission. The arcade Kinderkette Chuck E. Cheese has been paid a claim to address and exposed under pressure to sell leftover pizza again in February, after a YouTube star made has been shown in a video that he has now seen 35 million times. The theory was mostly harmless, but it is clear that, like YouTube, which provides more than 1 billion users, is part of the problem. Critics argue that the system hides recommendation algorithm, the company and automatically selects the next video often takes viewers down the rabbit hole of user games, which can not impose its questionable content to discover. “It ‘used to be much more difficult for things to be viral,” says Micah Schaffer, a technology policy consultant that made YouTube first guidelines when he worked for the company between 2006 and 2009. “Now, without intervention human, you might have a car that a lot of people say, has observed this and put it on blast for a mass audience. “” the problem is to be ordered with the theories of the conspiracy theorists of mind conspiracy plays a. “, it is the recommendation algorithms, but for the spectators on site and attracts success for more videos. More than 70% of the time is spent by people driven recommendations on YouTube, YouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan wrote in a 2018 op-ed variety. And about 80% of YouTube users, at least from time to time in the United States, the video platform recommendation algorithm, a November 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center found proposed observe. In January, YouTube announced it would begin gradually “reduce borderline content recommendations, and content that users can misinform in a harmful way.” Conspiracy was, including “videos to encourage part of content targeted a false miracle cure for a serious disease and claim that the earth is flat, or making obviously false statements about historical events like 9/11.” In June, YouTube he said the number of views of malicious content from recommendations by over 50% in the US in March Facebook compares its own pressure is to act according to an Ohio teenager like that has been vaccinated against the will of the mother, testified about the dangers of incorrect information during a Senate hearing widely considered. Ethan Lindenberger, 18, told lawmakers that his mother, an anti-vaccine advocate, particularly on Facebook rely for their information. Measles was declared eliminated expose the assertion by the United States in 2000 and public health officials have that vaccines cause autism. But it was confirmed in January more than 1,180 measles cases in 30 states, the largest number of cases reported in the US in 25 years, according to the Center for the control and prevention of disease. “Conspiracy theories are actually doing the things they do,” says Mike Wood, a lecturer at Britain’s University of Winchester, who specializes in the psychology of conspiracy theories. “To motivate their children to vote or not to vote to vaccinate their children or not to vaccinate do all those things that are important for people to act.” Two days after the hearing, Facebook said it would do more to silence anti-vaxxers and scrubs ads. The company also banned high-level distributors of conspiracy theories, including Alex Jones, say promote or engage in violence or hatred. Vitriol says conspiracy theories is “extremely problematic” because it affects the trust in institutions and the perception that change what is real. “The further start from an evidence-based understanding of reality, the less likely they will be able to deal with it,” he says. So what is the best way to do that with conspiracy theories, especially those that are not so easily discouraged? The researchers call the question a million dollars. The first step is to avoid them, belittling, says Swami. Decreasing rooted faith can backfire, disseminators and their traditional supporters to supply explanations to avoid even more. “The problem with theories of conspiracy belief that it plays in the spirit of conspiracy theorists,” he says. “It would root their faith.” Instead, experts say, it is important that the fuels to understand the science behind their mentality and the environment there. conspiracy thrive in the political climate of division, researchers say. After Swami, sprout when people who feel politically disenfranchised looking for ways to explain what happens in the world. “Conspiracy theories arise not only in a vacuum,” he says. “It simplifies the events and still gives you a sense of control over your life.” You can address all conspiratorialists facts not always make sense for truth seekers when they try to change their minds. (A study in 2017 found that people can believe in conspiracy theories will simply believe). But it is still a useful strategy, experts say. At least two experimental studies have shown that it works. According to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology in 2016 the authors have contributed underlining the logistical inconsistencies with conspiracy to discredit, if the person who was perceived presents the counter-rational argument to be smart and competent, in particular, the bottom line, experts say, is that conspiracy theories to ignore, to promote overcoming fear longtime sparks or ideas, is no longer an option. “The risk of doing nothing is that people who know nothing about this, the accomplice bill is wear, because there is no alternative explanation,” says vitriol. “If this was only a small part of the public in the darkest depths of the Internet, maybe you get to escape was to do with anything. But it’s too mainstream.” “It ‘a result we do not manage it,” adds vitriol.
The conspiracy theories sound crazy, but here’s why experts say we can no longer ignore
