Why I Don’t Believe in Conspiracy Theories

I have wasted a lot of time on conspiracy theories. It all began during my MA in War and Contemporary Conflict, when a lecturer mentioned in class the film “The Four Horsemen”. After watching the film, the YouTube algorithm dragged me through an awful spiral of similar videos. There were nights where I didn’t even sleep, because I was wasting myself on such content, which became increasingly dark and increasingly irrational. I became addicted to looking for sinister, subtle symbols and signals in the physical world and this affected my judgement. Eventually, I realised that I had placed myself into a hole which was difficult to escape from.

Today’s post is about what a conspiracy theory is, its causes, its impact and why I was on a mission to abandon conspiracy theories and move on for good.

About conspiracy theories

So, let us begin with a short analysis on conspiracy theories.

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, a conspiracy theory is “an attempt to explain harmful or tragic events as the result of the actions of a small powerful group. Such explanations reject the accepted narrative surrounding these events; indeed, the official version may be seen as further proof of conspiracy”. So, based on this definition, conspiracy theorists believe that a few people purposedfully cause suffering in order to preserve their own personal agenda. On the other hand, supporters of conspiracy theories will dismiss official explanations as evidence of the conspiracy, thus making any reasoning with them impossible.

What exacerbates support for conspiracy theories? Encyclopedia Britannica goes on by stressing that conspiracy theories gain traction during times of anxiety or uncertainty, like wars or natural disasters. Driven by a need to understand significant and threatening social forces, such theories are emotionally appealing but lack strong evidence and are resistant to being disproven. Psychological biases and distrust in official sources contribute to their persistence. So, we can conclude that people who incorporate conspiracy theories in their mindsets are vulnerable to manipulation. This makes them easy preys for politicians, journalists and social media influencers who prioritize charisma over common sense and use polarisation as a means of dominance in their field.

The strong psychological effect that conspiracy theories have on individuals combined with the absence of strong evidence helps them maintain a strong grip on someone’s conscience. It just can’t go away, because, given the fact that such theories aren’t based on real evidence, there is no point in presenting counter-arguments.

Why conspiracy theories are not for me

Lack of evidence. As said above, conspiracy theories are not based on strong evidence. In fact, they rely on speculation and cherry-picked information. Trusting theories that are based on speculation and cherry-picked information equals believing in fiction, not facts. This attitude is not appropriate for IR scholars who want to be respectable and reputable. Even worse, precisely the fact that they are based on manipulated data and half-truths facilitates the work of those who systematically try to manipulate and polarise the population.

Psychological manipulation. Conspiracy theories tend to exploit emotional vulnerabilities, particularly during times of crisis, which normally spark uncertainty and fear. Falling into the grip of conspiracy theorists -especially if those are politicians- can make one susceptible to misleading narratives and manipulation, which only serves the personal agendas of those who spread those theories.

Erosion of critical thinking. Conspiracy theories can undermine one’s reasoning by encouraging confirmation bias, which means searching for information in support of pre-existing beliefs while opposing evidence. Thus, one of our most essential means of our brains are gradually corrupted while we get more and more obsessed with searching for “clues” in support of what this or that opportunist has told us.

Conspiracy theories are addictive and a waste of time. Finally, I realised that I had a problem when I saw that I consumed more and more of such content. Given my personal experience, I can confirm that conspiracy theories absolutely can be addictive, leading to endless rabbit holes of misinformation. This way, one only wastes time and gets distracted from constructive and meaningful pursuits, such as expanding their network and developing themselves.

Pulling myself out of this labyrinth was truly a difficult task. Nevertheless, this whole experience taught me a very useful lesson. I should always be on alert for emotional manupulation, get information and data from a variety of sources and, more importantly, avoid believing blindly in everything I hear.