Flat earth, anti-vaccination, fake moon landing, the great reset... conspiracy theories run this world at an ever rapid rate of growth, like the covid-19 vaccine conspiracy theory, which has been loved by conspiracy theorists all around the world, but how do these conspiracy theories work?
A study by Daniel Jolley and Karen Douglas (Both psychologists - university of kent) concluded that parents exposed to anti-vaccine rhetoric showed less likely to get vaccinated. "Results revealed that participants who had been exposed to material supporting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories showed less intention to vaccinate than those in the anti-conspiracy condition or controls. " Why does this matter?
The internet is the cause, the internet has allowed for people to come together and burrow themselves in small communities around the world, people who find themselves in these rabbit holes often: lose faith in their government, feel powerless, or feel in danger, and that their values are being attacked.
So a clear solution to begin changing the mind of one believing a conspiracy theory is to make them listen to their opposition. That's easier said than done. Most of the time, no one will simply change their mind because they're looking at statistics, facts, or common knowledge. Conspiracy theorists, (and normal people!), will focus on changing the opinion of the other party, instead of understanding why their opinion may be flawed. Understanding is the keyword, in order to begin changing the mind of one, the other party (assuming, you) must be calm, empathetic, and close to them. You must talk to them as if they're normal, as if they're valid, but at the same time, you can deconstruct the argument.
To simply say that their opinion is wrong, and giving sources that support your conclusion is enough, is offensive to the other party, being able to talk to them as friends will help. It's important to ask questions, this will be the most useful tool. The more questions you ask, and the more you are able to find logical fallacies, ask about those logical fallacies, whilst acting nice and good-natured. Over time the conspiracy theorist will look to other avenues of information. Which is the best way of changing someone's mind, letting them do it themselves.
