How do conspiracy theories develop and proliferate, and what are the best tactics to quash them? Extensive research focused on Europe, led by a team at King's College London, indicates that it depends where you are. In the U.K., concerns over COVID lockdowns led to conspiracy theories about restriction of movement in "15-minute cities." In the Baltic states, fear of hidden elites is fueled by memories of Nazi and Soviet occupation.
"These ideas are spreading in all parts of society. If we want to tackle the problem of conspiracy theories, it’s not enough to turn off a particular pipeline, such as putting restrictions on a specific social media platform or shutting down someone’s account," says Professor Clare Birchall, who led the research. "We need to think about structural problems in society as well as the business models of platforms. And instead of focusing on why people don’t trust institutions and politicians, we should work on making them worthy of trust."
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