Last Week with Rob Schilling: The week's conspiracy theories - Augusta Free Press
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When conspiracy theories get a corporate sponsor, it's a masterclass in how legitimacy signals hijack critical thinking — and why we believe what we believe.
Illusory Truth EffectLegitimacy HeuristicEpistemic BubblesMotivated Reasoning
Theory Briefing
- Rob Schilling's weekly segment packages fringe conspiracy theories as mainstream commentary, blurring the line between satire and belief.
- Sponsored by UVA Athletics, the segment's institutional branding lends unearned credibility to unverified claims — a textbook legitimacy heuristic at work.
- The format exploits our pattern-seeking brains: weekly repetition of conspiracy content normalizes fringe narratives over time.