The Phenomenology of Conspiracy Belief

Abstract

Conspiracy theories, which typically suggest that hidden hands within the government are conducting a grand plot to manipulate and exploit its citizens, have become increasingly prevalent in contemporary political discourse. As political news media platforms have become increasingly polarized, individuals’ beliefs seem to operate within starkly different versions of the same reality. While past studies have sought to understand the underlying social and psychological processes of conspiracy belief, much of the research has been limited by its failure to account for the institutional forces that effectively shape individuals’ beliefs. With support from Althusser’s theory of the Ideological State Apparatus and Herman and Chomsky’s propaganda model, the current research will seek to understand how mainstream media narratives may actually drive the phenomenon of conspiracy belief. A study of articles from mainstream media outlets about the flat Earth theory and its supporters will find that media narratives serve to foster disbelief in the theory, which only fuels existing divisions.