COVID-19 pandemic conspiracy theories stem from historical trends

INDIANAPOLIS — If you’ve spent any time online since March, chances are you’ve come across — or possibly shared — conspiracy theories about COVID-19.

Some are tamer than others, but many have gained traction and spread through social media. Some examples of the current and most rampant conspiracies include claims that China engineered the coronavirus to use as a bioweapon, that 5G cell phone towers cause COVID-19, that a powerful businessman like George Soros or Bill Gates paid for the development of the virus, and that nasal swab COVID-19 tests are used to insert a microchip into a patient’s body.

Conspiracy theories take off when some people believe that some group is planning or has planned an action that is illegal or unethical in secret. They don’t necessarily have to include large actors like political figures or world governments, but the ones that spread the fastest and farthest often do.

Famous historical conspiracy theories include ones that a secret cabal was behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the moon landing was faked, terrorists did not cause the twin towers to fall on Sept. 11, 2001, and the scale of the Holocaust has been overexaggerated. No facts or debunking will persuade true believers that they are wrong about the conspiracy they believe and some continue to gain supporters.

In the aftermath of the worst global pandemic in a century, it seems that there are more conspiracies than ever circulating about the source and spread of COVID-19.

Robin Blom, media professor at Ball State University, and Stephen Andrews, history professor at Indiana University Bloomington, say there are no more conspiracies than there have been in the past. Both argue that conspiracy theories and hoaxes have been around since the dawn of time, and the pandemic didn’t cause any entirely new ones.

Blom has focused his research for the past few decades on trying to understand why people believe misinformation and unproven data, and he has conducted experiments to understand news source biases. He is also preparing for a class he will be teaching on conspiracies this fall.

Andrews was originally a religious historian, which evolved into studying conspiracy theory culture in America. He prefers to focus on the historical understanding of conspiracy theories rather than keeping an up-to-date record of all theories. Andrews has given many lectures on the subject.

Andrews said many conspiracy theories are formed as a coping mechanism to help deal with large issues, like how to solve a global pandemic and why it happened in the first place.

“Thinking that it is happening because of someone’s actions, even if those actions are cruel, intentional, violent, is often more empowering than to think about it as if it is just chaos, [that] it can’t be stopped,” Andrews said about people who believe the virus was engineered. “If someone has done this, then someone else can undo it.”

Blom said people accept conspiracies because it’s easier for them.

“The reason that these conspiracies get some traction is because it is confirming a narrative that certain people believe in or want to believe in. It’s convenient for them to blame it on another entity than the person they support or themselves,” he said.

Very few current conspiracies have sprung up out of nowhere, Andrews said. There is a running theory about a new world order, for example — a hidden, authoritarian world government with a plan to wrench power from sovereign people. This idea has appeared in multiple conspiracy scenarios, including those centered around population control. The theory about 5G wireless towers creating COVID-19 stems from this, and believers think that it’s the newest way the new world order is attempting to harm the health of the average person, Andrews said.

Blom expressed a similar sentiment when he explained that conspiracy theories about 5G use the technology as a “metaphor for the deep state,” the idea that a group of government or military authorities makes policy decisions in secret and in place of leaders elected by the people.

There are other fears that drive conspiracy theories beyond worries of a new world order. Christians have long been on the lookout for the mark of the beast outlined in the Bible’s book of Revelation. RFID chips — like those used in credit cards as a means of security — are what some believe is the mark, and there are some who believe that RFID chips are being implanted in people’s bodies without their knowledge. In fact, Indiana lawmakers passed legislation in the 2020 session banning employers from forcibly microchipping their employees.

While social media hasn’t created the market for unfounded conspiracies, it has taken existing ones and spread them faster and farther than ever before. The professors said conspiracy theories and hoaxes have existed as long as people, but social media has made it much easier to reach certain people and groups.

Conspiracy believers can find like-minded people in the virtual world, such as the anti-vaxxers, religious fundamentalists and those who distrust government in general, Andrews noted. This has helped some conspiracies grow. For example, both an anti-vaccination organization and some religious groups that fear the mark of the beast, or the anti-Christ, tend to unite behind the conspiracy that the government is implanting tracking chips in nasal swabs. The rationale for the conspiracy is different, but the result is the same — widespread distrust of programs to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The distrust and misinformation that grows out of some of the conspiracies can have real-life health consequences and harm the public, leaving some to question what can be done to stop them.

Blom said if people worked to educate themselves on technology, science and proper research methods, the country may see fewer far-flung conspiracies take hold.

“If you would know how 5G works, or how COVID works, then there is no logical explanation of 5G causing COVID,” Blom said.

The problem with that solution is that many true believers in their conspiracy distrust the government and public education, Blom said. So, someone may completely ignore scientific evidence against their theory because they think the establishment is trying to indoctrinate them.

Andrews said that one difficulty in debunking some of the conspiracies is there have been real instances of the government and powerful individuals misleading the public.

In March, Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, YouTube, Google, Microsoft and Twitter released a joint statement stating they would crack down on misinformation about COVID-19. Twitter and Facebook have been using algorithms to find and flag — or remove — posts with incorrect information about the virus or that tell people not to participate in safe behavior like social distancing.

These methods are only so effective. Facebook was recently criticized for removing a post that had correct information about the coronavirus. If the platforms flag or remove the posts, the authors can edit the wording to escape the algorithm and repost while leaving the false information intact. Additionally, the algorithms are not fast enough to catch some posts before they are shared millions of times, which decreases the effectiveness of removing them.

As for how social media platforms might limit misinformation, Andrews said, “I think there should be controls. How those are done, who gets the right to choose those, and how that process is done is probably above my pay grade.”