Thread by @InsideEdition

For our 2nd edition of #IETheIssue, we’re examining the modern misinformation landscape. In this piece, @allie_nicole93 reports on why people turn to conspiracy theories during times of uncertainty. THREAD:
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1/ Along with the rise of COVID-19 came a group of related, false conspiracy theories that range from the belief that 5G cell towers are spreading the virus to the myth that Bill Gates is working on a mind control device to insert into vaccines.
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2/ The emergence of these inaccurate beliefs is giving new insight into how and why people turn to conspiracy theories as a way to cope during times of uncertainty, according to a new study conducted by political psychologist @PoliPsyProf.
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3/ “All of these conspiracy theories are positively correlated. Meaning that people who believe one often believe others of them and they hang together as a belief system.” – @PoliPsyProf
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4/ @PoliPsyProf, whose research has previously focused on the psychology behind political attitudes, found that the more uncertainty respondents reported feeling, the “tighter” the conspiracy belief system became.
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5/ “If you are feeling uncertainty and you’re grasping at explanations, you’re going to grasp here…and you’re going to be willing to entertain these conspiracy theories if you think that’s going to help reign in some of that uncertainty.” – @PoliPsyProf
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6/ Not everyone who feels uncertain turns to conspiracy theories. Other motives, like conspiratorial thinking, denialism and partisan-motivated reasoning are also factors that have been activated by the current pandemic, according to @PoliPsyProf.
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7/ Conspiratorial thinking is a general tendency to explain events as having an unknown, often sinister explanation behind them. Denialism arises when people deny official accounts of events, because they don’t trust the source or are generally skeptical.
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8/ Partisan-motivated reasoning occurs when people are trying to protect their own worldview.
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9/ “Republicans and Democrats are feeling uncertain, but Republicans might be more likely to go to conspiracy theories to either scapegoat why a Republican president is being criticized or not doing as well at handling the pandemic.” – @PoliPsyProf
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For @allie_nicole93’s full story Why Do People Turn to Conspiracy Theories During Times of Uncertainty? for #IETheIssue:
ietv.co/3l08425