Repeating is not believing: the transmission of conspiracy theories

Delouvée, Sylvain

doi:10.1177/0392192120945609

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…A potential for backlash is always present in counter-messaging campaigns [ 100 , 101 ]. Additionally, while the so-called “backlash effect” (that is, the theory that factual counterargument entrenches false beliefs) has been credibly challenged [ 102 ], there is ample evidence that carelessly repeating false information can help spread it [ 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 ]. Therefore, public health messaging that addresses anti-vaccination audiences, already hardened in their beliefs, must be preceded by especially rigorous testing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Codebook of Online Anti-Vaccination Rhetoric to Manage COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

Hughes

Miller‐Idriss

Piltch-Loeb³

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Vaccine hesitancy (delay in obtaining a vaccine, despite availability) represents a significant hurdle to managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy is in part related to the prevalence of anti-vaccine misinformation and disinformation, which are spread through social media and user-generated content platforms. This study uses qualitative coding methodology to identify salient narratives and rhetorical styles common to anti-vaccine and COVID-denialist media. It organizes these narratives and rhetorics according to theme, imagined antagonist, and frequency. Most frequent were narratives centered on “corrupt elites” and rhetorics appealing to the vulnerability of children. The identification of these narratives and rhetorics may assist in developing effective public health messaging campaigns, since narrative and emotion have demonstrated persuasive effectiveness in other public health communication settings.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Codebook of Online Anti-Vaccination Rhetoric to Manage COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

Hughes

Miller‐Idriss

Piltch-Loeb³

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A potential for backlash is always present in counter-messaging campaigns (Lee, 2019; Matland & Murray, 2013). And while the so-called “backlash effect” (that is, the theory that factual counterargument entrenches false beliefs) has been credibly challenged (T. Wood et al, 2019), there is ample evidence that carelessly repeating false information can help spread it (De keersmaecker et al, 2020; Delouvée, 2020; Fazio et al, 2015; Skurnik et al, 2005). Therefore, public health messaging that addresses anti-vaccination audiences, already hardened in their beliefs, must be preceded by especially rigorous testing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Codebook of Online Anti-Vaccination Rhetoric to Manage COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

Hughes

Miller‐Idriss

Piltch-Loeb³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Vaccine hesitancy (delay in obtaining a vaccine, despite availability) represents a significant hurdle to managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy is in part related to the prevalence of anti-vaccine misinformation and disinformation, which are spread through social media and user-generated content platforms. This study uses qualitative coding methodology to identify salient narratives and rhetorical styles common to anti-vaccine and COVID-denialist media. It organizes these narratives and rhetorics according to theme, imagined antagonist, and frequency. Most frequent were narratives centered on 'corrupt elites' and rhetorics appealing to the vulnerability of children. The identification of these narratives and rhetorics may assist in developing effective public health messaging campaigns, since narrative and emotion have demonstrated persuasive effectiveness in other public health communication settings.

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'I-know-it-when-I-see-it' - Motivating Examples in the Social Psychology of Conspiracy Theory Theory

Dentith

2023

RoutledgeOpenRes

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Looking at set of 76 representative articles published by social psychologists between 2017 and 2023 (reviewed between December 2022 and February 2023), I examine the role of motivating examples---a kind of illustrative example, typically used by researchers at the beginning of their work to motivate the issue or problem they want to resolve or address in that work---in the social psychological work on conspiracy theory. Through an examination of the language around how motivating examples are introduced and used in the social psychological literature, I argue that the abstract and vague way that social psychologists employ such examples ends up relying on what Joseph Uscinski and Adam Enders deem as an unviable and easily abused `I-know-it-when-I-see-it' standard. As will be demonstrated, much of the recent work in the social psychology of conspiracy theory assumes and thus fails to establish what is supposedly problematic about belief in the conspiracy theories used as motivating examples. As a consequence the surveyed work typically fails to adequately capture belief in actual conspiracy theories, let alone establish a case for a general suspicion of such beliefs. This work, then, adds to and extends upon existing critiques of the social psychology of conspiracy theory by members of the wider community of scholars studying conspiracy theories. The upshot of this research is that if social psychologists want their work to be of use to the broader scholarly community studying these things called `conspiracy theories', then they need to connect work their work on the problems of conspiracy beliefs or mindsets to concrete examples of belief in unwarranted conspiracy theories.

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Repeating is not believing: the transmission of conspiracy theories

Cited by 4 publications

References 26 publications

Development of a Codebook of Online Anti-Vaccination Rhetoric to Manage COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

Development of a Codebook of Online Anti-Vaccination Rhetoric to Manage COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

Development of a Codebook of Online Anti-Vaccination Rhetoric to Manage COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

'I-know-it-when-I-see-it' - Motivating Examples in the Social Psychology of Conspiracy Theory Theory

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