Introduction
At all times, people created conspiracy theories and believed in them. Nowadays, YouTube has become one of the most popular platforms, where misleading misinformation videos constantly appear. Site leaders say they try not to promote such content and that it is less than 1% (Madrigal, 2019). The first reason is that YouTube opens up opportunities for all creators to create content with minimal cost. Hosting action algorithms are such that the most provocative, unusual, and shocking videos get attention because of the user’s desire to click and check out new and unusual information (Madrigal, 2019). Second, the platform encourages creators who attract emotional attention, developing a “paranoid style” based on shocking content and a sense of connection (Madrigal, 2019). The audience of offended viewers is easily attracted and creates an emotional connection with the same misunderstood and underestimated YouTuber.
For instance, YouTuber Shaun Dawson started his career with sketches and creative videos, creating a connection with the audience. His conspiracy theory videos quickly became popular as he was already generating interest and emotional responses from audiences. Then the number of views began to grow due to the extravagance of the content and the increased association with offending views. Another example was the growth of conspiracy theory channels from zero during the pandemic because many people felt fringed and misunderstood. That is why they started supporting channels like Kate Shemirant’s, which was spreading anti-vax misinformation using a nurse title.
Epistemic Motives
Epistemic motives are conspiracy theories that desire accuracy and understanding, providing subjective uncertainty. When causal motives are explained, they help reduce uncertainty, slaking curiosity, defend unconfirmed beliefs, and find meanings of random events (Douglas et al., 2019). At the same time, epistemic theories evaluate facts hidden from public scrutiny by coordinating multiple actors. In addition, they usually imply that the actors used disinformation and stealth to cover up themselves, which is why it is thought that the people coming up with the theories might be part of the conspiracy.
In addition, epistemic motives are used to defend cherished beliefs, such as climate change is not harmful, through providing much evidence. Epistemic theories are stronger when backed up with heightened experiments or for people seeking the habitual cause of societal patterns (Douglas et al., 2019). The main drawback of epistemic motives is that they may defend their motives by discrediting others in society (van Prooijen & Douglas, 2018). An example of epistemic motive is conspiracy theories that state climate change is not dangerous. These theories may be experimented with to prove that climate change is not harmful. However, it will come at the expense of those fighting against climate change because they believe it is harmful.
Examples of Conspiracy Theories
People can learn to spot conspiracy theories and fake news by looking at such examples as the articles “Vax Collapse: Vaccine mandates are causing catastrophic logistics failures in international shipping” or “Links between Turkey, ISIS now undeniable.” First, they usually use clickbait-style headings with strong words like “catastrophic” or “undeniable” to attract the reader’s emotional attention. Second, only one position is presented in such articles, and all information is given as imperative (WND). Third, the links given as source information usually lead to similar conspiracy theory sites, not scientific or news articles (NaturalNews). This is typical for the submitted articles, which are biased notes that appeal to readers’ emotions and do not have proven facts.
Conclusion
People believe in conspiracy theories to explain various motives and satisfy epistemic, existential, and social desires. According to van Prooijen & Douglas (2018), some people develop these theories to blame adverse outcomes on others who do not belong to the group. Thus, they hold their image as moral and upright, and thus the evil others tarnish it. Therefore, theories on social motives are expected to appeal to the in-group, and they must find something positive about it to show to outsiders.
References
Douglas, K. M., Uscinski, J. E., Sutton, R. M., Cichocka, A., Nefes, T., Ang, C. S., & Deravi, F. (2019). Understanding conspiracy theories. Political Psychology, 40(S1), 3–35. Web.
Madrigal, A. C. (2019). The reason conspiracy videos work so well on YouTube. The Atlantic. Web.
NaturalNews. (2021). Vax Collapse: Vaccine mandates are causing catastrophic logistics failures in international shipping. Web.
van Prooijen, J.-W., & Douglas, K. M. (2018). Belief in conspiracy theories: Basic principles of an emerging research domain. European Journal of Social Psychology, 48(7), 897–908. Web.
WND. (2015). Links between Turkey, ISIS now ‘undeniable’. WND. Web.