conspiracy theories

The enduring allure of conspiracies

The United States of America was founded on a conspiracy theory. In the lead-up to the War of Independence, revolutionaries argued that a...

Valley Fever And COVID-19, Structure of Conspiracy Theories, New Climate Wars. Jan 15, 2021, Part 2

How The West Is Battling COVID-19 And Valley Fever For the past year, the...

A Perfect Storm for Conspiracies: Confirmation Bias & Algorithms

Source: Brandon RaygoTo start things off, this article will not be about why...

(U//FOUO) Domestic Violent Extremists Emboldened in Aftermath of Capitol Breach, Domestic Terrorism Threat Likely Amid Political Transitions

(U//FOUO) This Joint Intelligence Bulletin (JIB) is intended to highlight the threat of violence from domestic violent extremists (DVEs) in the wake of the 6 January violent breach by some DVEs of the US Capitol...

It’s time to raise the cost of spreading conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theories were a major driver behind the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building. They have also been a growing part of the political right’s internal struggles since at least 2008. But why do...

The Capitol siege proves it's finally time to take Trump and other politicians' violent rhetoric both seriously and literally.

Rioters clash with police using big ladder trying to enter Capitol building through the front doors. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images Capitol rioters shouted "Hang Pence!" and...

Twitch’s Pogchamp Removal Was Never Enough, And Now It’s Turning Into A Disaster

It’s not every day you hear about an enormous platform like Twitch swatting the face of one of its most popular emotes clean off and rendering the president’s account indefinitely inert, as it did in the aftermath...

Parler goes dark, sues Amazon to demand immediate reinstatement

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson / Ars Technica) In less than three days, social networking service Parler has gone from darling of the right wing to a has-been service that can no longer be accessed online. In...

The right-wing conspiracy theories that fueled the Capitol siege are going to instigate more violence

Win McNamee/Getty Images QAnon true believers, Proud Boys, literal neo-Nazis — they were all part of the deadly insurrection at the Capitol. And they all believe the evidence-free conspiracy theory that the...

People Are Already Getting Disappointed In The Year 2021, And Here’s 64 Of The Funniest Jokes They Made

Just because we get a new calendar and the date changes on our phones, it doesn’t magically give us a pine-fresh brand new start and solve all of society’s problems. However, even knowing this and after the humbling...

Australian Politicians Keep Sharing Conspiracy Theories and Scott Morrison Won’t Do Anything About It

As soon as Trump supporters violently stormed the US Capitol building, their online allies began promoting a conspiracy theory that the whole riot was a false flag operation. And when some Australian politicians started...

Trump supporters falsely claim a far-right activist at the US Capitol is actually a member of 'Antifa'

Jake Angeli, the "Q Shaman," was one of several protesters to confront Capitol police officers at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. - Demonstrators breached security and entered the...

A well-known QAnon influencer dubbed the 'Q Shaman' played a highly visible role in the Capitol siege

Jake Angeli, the "Q Shaman," was one of several protestors to confront Capitol police officers at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. - Demonstrators breeched security and entered the...

Trump must be prosecuted, or we should just admit presidents are above the law

President Donald Trump poses for a White House photograph to show him working during his stay at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Tia Dufour/The White House via Getty Images This isn't just about...

Viral 5G Conspiracy Diagram Actually Shows How to Build Your Own Guitar Pedal

Does this diagram show the secret plans of Bill Gates and his minions to inject 5G chips into the bloodstreams of unsuspecting people who get the covid-19 vaccine? Not quite. But it can sure scoop the hell out of those...

This Might Be the Dumbest Vaccine Conspiracy Theory We’ve Ever Seen

Conspiracy theorists in Italy are sharing an image of a circuitry diagram they claim is a 5G chip that has been inserted into the COVID-19 vaccine. Not surprisingly, the theory is nonsense. And as it turns out, as Boing...

Conspiracy Theorist ‘Proves’ The Earth Is Flat With A Spirit Level On A Plane, And The ‘Evidence’ Is Making People Facepalm

Some conspiracy theories don’t die out no matter how much time goes by and how much evidence to the contrary there is. One of the best-known examples is the Flat Earth Theory whose supporters keep moving the goalposts...

Study: Folklore structure reveals how conspiracy theories emerge, fall apart

Enlarge / Researchers produced a graphic representation of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory narrative, with layers for major subplots of each story, and lines connecting the key people, places and institutions within...

The biggest conspiracy theories of 2020 (and why they won’t die)

Between the prolonged coronavirus pandemic and an unusually intense U.S. presidential election, 2020 conspiracy theorists had plenty of fuel to burn. It will hardly end in 2021, according to those who study...

The accused Nashville suicide bomber was reportedly paranoid about 5G technology. Here's what we know about the false 5G conspiracy that went viral this year.

: FBI and first responders work the scene after an explosion on December 25, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. Thaddaeus McAdams/Getty Images On Christmas morning, a suicide bombing shook Nashville. The explosion...