The Role of Social Media in the Spread of Conspiracy Theories

This chapter explores the role of social media in the spread of conspiracy theories and science denial online. Social media rely on algorithms and various calculative mechanisms to attract and retain a large user base, while ensuring quality controls at lower costs. These calculative mechanisms, this chapter shows, have collateral effects that result in the spread of conspiracy theories and in sucking individuals into conspiracy bubbles. These conspiracy theories may escalate to become the basis of collective action. It illustrates these arguments drawing on the example of the online American conspiracy theory QAnon, which was instrumental in the Storm of the Capitol in January 2021. Finally, it provides suggested interventions for organizations and policy makers that could help overcome various of the issues identified.