RESEARCH ESSAY

Has there been a measurable rise in conspiracy theories in recent years?

How can conspiracy theories work to manipulate your brain so you can better defend yourself against their tactics?

Working Thesis Statement → Because YouTube hosts, and sometimes promotes, damaging conspiracy theories, Google should put systems in place to discourage the spread of misinformation.

1. IDEA → adaptive-conspiracism hypothesis: people have been programmed to fall for conspiracy theories as a protective measure

ILLUSTRATE → hunter gathers – identify conspirators was an evolutionary advantage – adaptive conspiracism hypothesis – snake / stick

INTERPRET → spells out the theory’s implications – fall for conspiracy theories because it feels like the safer option – better to be prepared for an enemy attack that might not even be there than to not be prepared at all

2. IDEA → illusory pattern perception

ILLUSTRATE → find patterns in random stimuli – flipped a coin – noticing a pattern and noticing a meaning behind it

ILLUSTRATE → Shane Dawson – Chuckee Cheese conspiracy

INTERPRETATION → explains how the illustrations link back to the idea – establishes a pattern and then correlates it to something bigger

3. IDEA → being vulnerable to conspiracies is directly linked to dopamine in your brain

ILLUSTRATE → study – pill to increase dopamine: illusory pattern perception more likely → study – naturally high levels of dopamine: more likely to believe

INTERPRETATION → spells out the study’s conclusion – higher dopamine levels meant more likely to exhibit the illusory pattern perception

4. IDEA → feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, or powerlessness

ILLUSTRATE → study w/ paintings – Victor Vasarely vs. Jackson Pollock

INTERPRETATION – spells out the study’s conclusion lead people to look for patterns in chaos

5. IDEA → conspiracy theories may be damaging society

ILLUSTRATE → 37% of people think global warming is a hoax

INTERPRETATION → impact on environment and economy, displacing / harming people

ILLUSTRATE → 20% of Americans still believe vaccines cause autism

INTERPRETATION → increase in measles outbreaks / third worst health crisis in the world

6. IDEA – YouTube algorithm designed to keep viewers on the platform longer

ILLUSTRATE → watch video on conspiracy theories – suggests stuff to you

ILLUSTRATE→ Algo Transparency – shows the day’s top videos and channels being recommended on YouTube

INTERPRETATION → implies how viewers are targeted and profiled

7. IDEA → Rate of conspiracy theory belief has remained consistent throughout the years; however, the internet has changed how information is handled.

ILLUSTRATION → “has displaced gatekeepers, the producers, editors, and scholars who decide what was worth of dissemination”

INTERPRETATION → touches on the implications of this problem – Pintrest banned conversations about vaccines – demonetized anti-vaxx videos, claim to be reducing recommendations from borderline content