Sociology of Conspiracy Theories

 

Sociology of Conspiracy from Everyday Sociology Blog (2007)

For the past six years, the anniversary of the September 11^th attacks has brought introspection and examination into what happened on that terrible day....Sociologists refer to conspiracy theories as a form of collective behavior, something that we engage in together that gains traction as it appeals to many people. Similar to urban legends, rumors, and panics, sociologists seek to understand how and why groups create meaning through claiming that conspiracies have taken place. 

The Social Determinants of Conspiratorial Ideation in Socius by Joseph DiGrazia

This article seeks to develop a sociological understanding of the structural conditions that are associated with conspiratorial belief. Using aggregate Google search data to measure public interest in two popular political conspiracy theories, the findings indicate that social conditions associated with threat and insecurity, including unemployment, changes in partisan control of government, and demographic changes, are associated with increased conspiratorial ideation.

What Drives Conspiracy Theories?  From Soc Images (2017)

Social science research shows that we shouldn’t think about these beliefs like delusions, because the choice to buy in stems from real structural and psychological conditions that can affect us all.

Belief in conspiracy theories: Basic principles of an emerging research domain (2018)

Specifically, conspiracy theories are consequential as they have a real impact on people's health, relationships, and safety; they are universal in that belief in them is widespread across times, cultures, and social settings; they are emotional given that negative emotions and not rational deliberations cause conspiracy beliefs; and they are social as conspiracy beliefs are closely associated with psychological motivations underlying intergroup conflict.

Qanon reading list:

Origins, spread, mainstreaming and security threats.