Conspiracy theories have, probably, existed for as long as human societies have.
However, conspiracy theores have probably never been as widely spread as they are today, thanks to the internet. With the online communication possibilities that exist, it is almost trivially easy to address the public with any type of content.
Online documentary videos that spread conspiracy theories have become a popular genre of online videos. Conspiracy documentaries online are effective for the same reasons regular documentary films are: On a very emotional level, we assume that documentaries are realistic, in that they document reality.
Online conspiracy documentary videos are not only an addition to contemporary conspiracy theories, but they are at their very center. Conspiracy videos can have strong, compelling narratives, and their use of television footage and of still images makes it all seem authentic. Online conspiracy documentary videos are crucial to conspiracy theories - so much so that they should be regarded as the main vector of contemporary conspiratorial ideation.
4. Outline
This will be a short one!
What are conspiracy theories?
Why do conspiracy theories matter?
5. Outline
This will be a short one!
What are conspiracy theories?
Why do conspiracy theories matter?
Documentary films: Something very special!
6. Outline
This will be a short one!
What are conspiracy theories?
Why do conspiracy theories matter?
Documentary films: Something very special!
Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
7. Outline
This will be a short one!
What are conspiracy theories?
Why do conspiracy theories matter?
Documentary films: Something very special!
Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
Conspiracy videos are not a side dish, but the main course!
9. What are conspiracy theories?
There’s is no one definitive definition of «conspiracy theory»
[1, 2, 3].
10. What are conspiracy theories?
There’s is no one definitive definition of «conspiracy theory»
[1, 2, 3].
But generally, a conspiracy theory can be understood as a truth
claim with four properties:
11. What are conspiracy theories?
There’s is no one definitive definition of «conspiracy theory»
[1, 2, 3].
But generally, a conspiracy theory can be understood as a truth
claim with four properties:
A conspiracy theory is an alternative explanation for some event
in or state of the world.
12. What are conspiracy theories?
There’s is no one definitive definition of «conspiracy theory»
[1, 2, 3].
But generally, a conspiracy theory can be understood as a truth
claim with four properties:
A conspiracy theory is an alternative explanation for some event
in or state of the world.
A conspiracy theory claims that the generally accepted
explanation for said event or state of the world is not just
incorrect, but a lie.
13. What are conspiracy theories?
There’s is no one definitive definition of «conspiracy theory»
[1, 2, 3].
But generally, a conspiracy theory can be understood as a truth
claim with four properties:
A conspiracy theory is an alternative explanation for some event
in or state of the world.
A conspiracy theory claims that the generally accepted
explanation for said event or state of the world is not just
incorrect, but a lie.
A conspiracy theory claims that this lie originates from the
people who caused the event or state in question.
14. What are conspiracy theories?
There’s is no one definitive definition of «conspiracy theory»
[1, 2, 3].
But generally, a conspiracy theory can be understood as a truth
claim with four properties:
A conspiracy theory is an alternative explanation for some event
in or state of the world.
A conspiracy theory claims that the generally accepted
explanation for said event or state of the world is not just
incorrect, but a lie.
A conspiracy theory claims that this lie originates from the
people who caused the event or state in question.
A conspiracy theory claims that the people who caused the
event or state in question did so for nefarious, self-serving
purposes.
16. What are conspiracy theories?
And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?
So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies
happen!
17. What are conspiracy theories?
And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?
So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies
happen!
Conspiracy theory = Theory of conspiracy
18. What are conspiracy theories?
And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?
So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies
happen!
Conspiracy theory = Theory of conspiracy
Conspiracy theories are said to suffer from «crippled
epistemology» [4].
19. What are conspiracy theories?
And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?
So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies
happen!
Conspiracy theory = Theory of conspiracy
Conspiracy theories are said to suffer from «crippled
epistemology» [4].
But it’s more than that:
20. What are conspiracy theories?
And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?
So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies
happen!
Conspiracy theory = Theory of conspiracy
Conspiracy theories are said to suffer from «crippled
epistemology» [4].
But it’s more than that:
They are logically fallacious.
21. What are conspiracy theories?
And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?
So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies
happen!
Conspiracy theory = Theory of conspiracy
Conspiracy theories are said to suffer from «crippled
epistemology» [4].
But it’s more than that:
They are logically fallacious.
They depend on cognitive biases.
24. Why do conspiracy theories matter?
Because people believe in them!
Conspiratorial belief is probably fairly widespread [5].
25. Why do conspiracy theories matter?
Because people believe in them!
Conspiratorial belief is probably fairly widespread [5].
Conspiracy theories spread easier than ever before, thanks to
the internet [6, 7, 8].
26. Why do conspiracy theories matter?
Because people believe in them!
Conspiratorial belief is probably fairly widespread [5].
Conspiracy theories spread easier than ever before, thanks to
the internet [6, 7, 8].
It’s not all fun and games – people do sometimes act on those
sorts of beliefs [9].
29. Documentary films
Something very special
Documentary films are a special kind of film.
We expect documentaries to document reality.
30. Documentary films
Something very special
Documentary films are a special kind of film.
We expect documentaries to document reality.
Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create
an impression of it.
31. Documentary films
Something very special
Documentary films are a special kind of film.
We expect documentaries to document reality.
Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create
an impression of it.
Basically, it’s all in our head [10].
32. Documentary films
Something very special
Documentary films are a special kind of film.
We expect documentaries to document reality.
Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create
an impression of it.
Basically, it’s all in our head [10].
Documentaries wield great persuasive power.
33. Documentary films
Something very special
Documentary films are a special kind of film.
We expect documentaries to document reality.
Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create
an impression of it.
Basically, it’s all in our head [10].
Documentaries wield great persuasive power.
Documentaries convey information in a way that is natural to
us: Seeing things and hearing things.
34. Documentary films
Something very special
Documentary films are a special kind of film.
We expect documentaries to document reality.
Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create
an impression of it.
Basically, it’s all in our head [10].
Documentaries wield great persuasive power.
Documentaries convey information in a way that is natural to
us: Seeing things and hearing things.
The images we see are authentic, and we can’t help but believe
that what we hear is authentic as well.
36. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The internet: You gotta take the good with the bad
The internet has profoundly changed human communication.
37. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The internet: You gotta take the good with the bad
The internet has profoundly changed human communication.
That is great! In many ways, the internet has «democratized»
diffusion of creative works.
38. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The internet: You gotta take the good with the bad
The internet has profoundly changed human communication.
That is great! In many ways, the internet has «democratized»
diffusion of creative works.
Among other things, reaching potentially large audiences with
home-made video.
39. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The internet: You gotta take the good with the bad
The internet has profoundly changed human communication.
That is great! In many ways, the internet has «democratized»
diffusion of creative works.
Among other things, reaching potentially large audiences with
home-made video.
But just because something is on the internet, it’s not
necessarily true.
41. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The one that started it all, possibly
Back in 2005, an amazing documentary was released online.
42. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The one that started it all, possibly
Back in 2005, an amazing documentary was released online.
43. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The one that started it all, possibly
Loose Change was a big hit when it first came out.
44. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The one that started it all, possibly
Loose Change was a big hit when it first came out.
It established some of the core aesthetics that are typical of
contemporary conspiracy videos:
45. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The one that started it all, possibly
Loose Change was a big hit when it first came out.
It established some of the core aesthetics that are typical of
contemporary conspiracy videos:
Television footage.
46. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The one that started it all, possibly
Loose Change was a big hit when it first came out.
It established some of the core aesthetics that are typical of
contemporary conspiracy videos:
Television footage.
Photographs, still images.
47. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The one that started it all, possibly
Loose Change was a big hit when it first came out.
It established some of the core aesthetics that are typical of
contemporary conspiracy videos:
Television footage.
Photographs, still images.
Constant voiceover.
49. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
Conspiracy documentaries usually don’t have high production value
– but they are effective!
50. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
Conspiracy documentaries usually don’t have high production value
– but they are effective!
We see many images that are authentic; they are images of the
real world.
51. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
Conspiracy documentaries usually don’t have high production value
– but they are effective!
We see many images that are authentic; they are images of the
real world.
We can’t help but feel that what we hear is authentic as well.
53. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level
of conspiracy theory.
54. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level
of conspiracy theory.
55. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new type
of conspiracy theory.
56. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level
of conspiracy theory.
57. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level
of conspiracy theory.
58. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level
of conspiracy theory.
59. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level
of conspiracy theory.
Crisis actor conspiracy theories claim that direct and indirect
victims of terrorist or other criminal activity are actors.
60. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level
of conspiracy theory.
Crisis actor conspiracy theories claim that direct and indirect
victims of terrorist or other criminal activity are actors.
The whole event is staged.
61. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level
of conspiracy theory.
63. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
In summary:
Conspiracy theories are epistemically defective inferences.
64. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
In summary:
Conspiracy theories are epistemically defective inferences.
Documentary films are a powerful film genre.
65. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
In summary:
Conspiracy theories are epistemically defective inferences.
Documentary films are a powerful film genre.
Conspiracy documentaries are effective – by having a
documentary format, we cannot help but deem them credible.
66. Conspiracy documentaries on the internet
The allure of the real
In summary:
Conspiracy theories are epistemically defective inferences.
Documentary films are a powerful film genre.
Conspiracy documentaries are effective – by having a
documentary format, we cannot help but deem them credible.
Conspiracy documentaries are the main vector of
contemporary conspiratorial ideation.
68. Bibliography I
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Simon and Schuster, 1999. isbn: 978-1-4391-2404-8 (cit. on pp. 8–14).
[2] Lee Basham. “Living with the Conspiracy”. In: The Philosophical Forum 32.3 (2001),
pp. 265–280. doi: 10.1111/0031-806X.00065 (cit. on pp. 8–14).
[3] Brian L. Keeley. “Of Conspiracy Theories”. In: The Journal of Philosophy 96.3 (1999),
pp. 109–126. doi: 10.2307/2564659 (cit. on pp. 8–14).
[4] Cass R. Sunstein and Adrian Vermeule. “Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures*”. In:
Journal of Political Philosophy 17.2 (2009), pp. 202–227. doi:
10.1111/j.1467-9760.2008.00325.x (cit. on pp. 15–21).
[5] J. Eric Oliver and Thomas J. Wood. “Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of
Mass Opinion”. In: American Journal of Political Science 58.4 (2014), pp. 952–966. doi:
10.1111/ajps.12084 (cit. on pp. 22–26).
[6] Anna Kata. “Anti-vaccine activists, Web 2.0, and the postmodern paradigm – An
overview of tactics and tropes used online by the anti-vaccination movement”. In:
Vaccine. Special Issue: The Role of Internet Use in Vaccination Decisions 30.25 (2012),
pp. 3778–3789. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.11.112 (cit. on pp. 22–26).
[7] Michael J. Wood and Karen M. Douglas. “Online communication as a window to
conspiracist worldviews”. In: Frontiers in Psychology 6 (2015). doi:
10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00836 (cit. on pp. 22–26).
69. Bibliography II
[8] Wood Michael. “Has the internet been good for conspiracy theorising?” In: PsyPAG
Quarterly 88 (2013), pp. 31–33 (cit. on pp. 22–26).
[9] Daniel Jolley and Karen M. Douglas. “The Effects of Anti-Vaccine Conspiracy Theories
on Vaccination Intentions”. In: PLoS ONE 9.2 (2014), e89177. doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0089177 (cit. on pp. 22–26).
[10] Dirk Eitzen. “When Is a Documentary?: Documentary as a Mode of Reception”. In:
Cinema Journal 35.1 (1995), pp. 81–102 (cit. on pp. 27–34).
