Steven Marshall

3 years ago · 2 min. reading time · 0 ·

Blogging
>
Steven blog
>
Was 9/11 a Conspiracy Created By the US Government?

Was 9/11 a Conspiracy Created By the US Government?

NOTE: The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. recently completed a study on how people in this country receive information about current events in the US and its subsequent impact on how they view those same events. They have concluded some telling and eye-opening findings. Enjoy!


How Media Consumption Patterns Fuel Conspiratorial Thinking
False news travels faster than truth online. Incubated in online communities, mis- and disinformation often coalesce into conspiratorial narratives that receive higher, more sustained engagement on social media. Viral conspiracies can motivate individuals to engage in targeted harassment and violence that—while often aimed at elites—disproportionately affect marginalized populations.

Bias Confirmation?

2

7,

71 5Who is more likely to interpret events conspiratorially? Conspiracy theories are stickiest when they satisfy an individual’s underlying needs. Those with a strong need for closure or certainty, those facing threats to themselves or those close to them, and those seeking to maintain a positive image of themselves, their identity, or groups they belong to tend to gravitate toward conspiratorial interpretations. Previous research showed that highly knowledgeable people who also lack trust in governmental institutions are more prone to endorse political conspiracy theories, as are people who have been on the losing side of an election and are looking for a reason to keep holding onto their worldview.

Our new research, conducted with colleagues in the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal team at the University

Predicted Levels of Congeacam
Frocnd spy ws 4 + 1547) bars WAR COG PA, ara NC rice 5 2978 made hectic

| of Wisconsin-Madison shows that how we approach our mediated world matters as well. We found that the way people do and don’t search for news online significantly affects their propensity to believe that a group of secret, malevolent actors is controlling the world. In short, people who avoid following the news because they think they will hear about the critical stuff eventually are among the most likely people to think conspiratorially.

People Encounter the News In a Variety of Ways
While some people omnivorously devour all the news they can and others prefer news from their ideological side, a considerable number of people choose not to look for the news at all, confident they can stay informed because if it is important enough, the news will work its way into their interpersonal networks or social media feeds. People exhibiting high levels of this “news finds me” perception tend to have lower political knowledge and interest than others, and tend to use social media more often. Since previous research shows that those who are highly knowledgeable about and distrustful of the government are more prone to conspiracism, we wondered whether these media-use patterns and orientations toward news consumption contributed to a conspiratorial mentality as well.

Does It?
In a word, yes. We conducted a panel survey of adults in five 2020 presidential election swing states (Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina), tapping people’s social media use, political interest and knowledge, trust-in-government, racial resentment, and whether they held a “news finds me” perception. The top-left panel of the figure (below) shows that people with a higher “news finds me” perspective is the most likely to exhibit conspiracism in their thinking.

Using social media more often is also associated with more conspiratorial thinking, as is expressing high levels of racial resentment (by white people toward black people). Not surprisingly, the more people trust the government, the less prone to conspiratorial thinking they are.

85c8e4cd.png
However, we found that party identification, political knowledge, homogeneous political conversation, and homogeneous media-use patterns were not associated with conspiracism.

b124c9dd.jpgBelieving in false conspiracies can happen to the knowledgeable but untrusting and those who are politically aloof, but confident, important news finds them anyway. As the figure shows, this is not a product of people living in partisan filter bubbles consuming politically slanted news content and talking only to those they already agree with. Those with a conspiratorial worldview use social media more and are more likely to have a “news finds me” perception. Communities, news outlets, and political elites will have to work diligently to temper these tendencies as voters sift through their news and social media feeds, making their 2020 electoral choices and forming preferences about how our country should be tackling its most pressing problems.

Comments

Articles from Steven Marshall

View blog
5 years ago · 11 min. reading time

NOTE: Thank you for the excellent feedback on last week's post about "Whatever Happened to Complicat ...

3 years ago · 3 min. reading time

This piece by Marcel Schwantes in Inc. intrigued to reflect on my own leadership skills and if I was ...

6 years ago · 3 min. reading time

NOTE: This blog was initially published in 2014 as part of a series I wrote about the most unforget ...

You may be interested in these jobs

  • CareerBuilder

    Business Analyst

    Found in: Lensa US P 2 C2 - 6 days ago


    CareerBuilder Quantico, United States

    E-INFOSOL LLC is seeking a highly motivated Business Analyst to be a Full-time employee in Quantico, VA. Come join a team that collaborates across the entire organization to bring the right solution to our customers and drive innovation. · Job Description: · The · Business Ana ...

  • Walmart

    Stocking & Unloading

    Found in: Lensa US P 2 C2 - 6 days ago


    Walmart Linthicum Heights, United States

    Stocking, backroom, and receiving associates work to ensure customers can find all the items they have on their shopping list. Depending on the shift you work, your job could include moving inventory in the backroom, unloading trucks, or helping customers while stocking shelves. ...

  • Dentsu

    Associate, Digital Investment

    Found in: One Red Cent US C2 - 4 days ago


    Dentsu Lansing, United States

    Company Description · Carat is consistently ranked the #1 media agency in the world with over 12,000 experts in over 100 countries. We deliver an unparalleled capability to unlock real human understanding to connect people and brands by designing powerful and engaging media exper ...