Writing Blog Number 2 (continued)

20251027 Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy Theories

The psychology of conspiracy theories is one that is very interesting. I studied this in one of my psychology classes at university, so have some basic, surface-level knowledge, and I think this can help some writers.
         The use of people who believe in conspiracy theories is becoming more prevalent in fiction because it reflects the world around us. So I thought it might be good to look at the whole psychology behind these beliefs so that these characters can be a bit more realistic.
         This, by the way, is expanded from a response I gave to a post at some stage here on WdC, so if it sounds familiar, that may be why. In addition, it is adapted from an essay I wrote in 2001 (2002?).
         One last thing here - this is "theory" in the philosophical definition. A scientific theory is something that can be proven by experimentation or by mathematics, or is accepted by those in the field. Evolution, gravity, nuclear decay are all theories because they can be proven. If something cannot be proven in science, it is referred to as a hypothesis. In philosophy, a "theory" is something that makes sense based on the evidence available to the person in question, but cannot really be proven.

So...

Basically, people find themselves nowadays in an increasingly hyper-connected world. Ever since World War I, the peoples of the world have been growing increasingly reliant on one another, with the United Nations (and League of Nations before that) seen as a one world ruling body or arbiter. This means whereas in the nineteenth century people had an idea of where they fit into the world because their world was so much smaller, as the scale has grown larger, many people feel they have become disenfranchised. Even their own local communities are part of a larger one-ness; that sense of being someone, even in a small way, is lost as personal comparisons (comparisons to others) are now made across a world of billions, as opposed to a community of thousands.
         Increasingly, in order to feel better about themselves, that they are not just a number on a spreadsheet, people try to adopt many different things to stand out. Artists, corporate (political and religious as well) leaders, sportspeople all have outlets to make themselves stand out from the crowd stretching back to ancient days. With the rise of the Internet and online “being known” in which more and more are putting themselves, suddenly even standing out like that doesn’t mean as much. It used to be a very small minority, but now so many (some would say too many) are in that sphere.
         So people want to feel like they mean something, and for a few people that "meaning something" comes with the willingness, mentally, to be open to information that could help set them apart. A conspiracy theory (theory used in the philosophical sense, not the scientific sense) is a form of believing in hidden knowledge. If the people in charge, if the "normal" people, do not see what the conspiracies are, then the believer feels they have special information, and that makes them feel like they are special in their own minds. They know things others don't. That takes them away from being just another number – they are part of the "enlightened."
         And so with minimal knowledge and a confidence born of over-belief, of course, Dunning-Kruger then comes into play.

         Belief in conspiracy theories really didn't start amongst the mass populace until the mid-20th century. Some cite older ones, but the people, the regular people, had no idea, and these ideas were restricted to upper echelons of society. Like I said, with the world becoming more and more homogenised, a conspiracy theory is a means for people to make themselves feel like they mean something in a world that increasingly makes people feel like they do not matter. It is a natural response to being a part of a world more focused on everything except humanity.
         The fact that some conspiracies (and by some, I mean very, very, very few) come to pass or be proven as having been real only reinforces the idea that all conspiracies must be true to the believers.
         Belief in a conspiracy theory does not care about intelligence, education or anything else. It is a personal response to an unfeeling, uncaring, increasingly hostile world that only seems to want to divide and conquer. Believers tend to be people who feel they are overlooked by something – government, job, friends, family, anything – and that is about all they have in common.