Online conspiracy theories and perceptions of institutional power: a study of the Flat Earth ...
repozytorium.kozminski.edu.pl
When people stop trusting institutions, flat-earth forums fill the void — and this study reveals exactly how conspiracy theories become political identity, not just fringe belief.
Institutional DistrustConspiracy Theory FrameworkSocial Identity TheoryEpistemic Closure
Theory Briefing
- Flat Earth Society's online forum serves as a live laboratory for how institutional distrust mutates into coordinated political narratives.
- Members don't just reject science — they construct alternative power frameworks that reframe governments and academia as deliberate deceivers.
- The study shows conspiracy belief functions as social bonding, turning shared distrust into group identity rather than a search for truth.