Chapter Six: Fake News and Conspiracy Theories

In June 2020, the era we are now living in was described as ‘the golden age of conspiracies’ (Stanton, 2020). Politico journalist Jack Stanton was referring to the proliferation of conspiracy narratives in the digital media ecology. Other than perhaps the adherents of conspiracy theories, most people would agree with that assessment, since reporting about conspiracy theories has become commonplace in mainstream media over the past half-decade, particularly in relation to COVID-19, vaccinations, climate science and political extremism. There has also been increased conspiracy theory activity across social networks and online forums in relation to a wide array of ideas, from claims that the Moon Landing was a hoax to claims of a conspiracy among airline pilots to hide what they believe is the ‘fact’ that the Earth is flat.