Research Notes #4
How to deconstruct hoaxes and dispel conspiracy theories
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For this issue, we will look at how hoaxes are created, planted, and maintained through conspiracy theories. Deconstructing hoaxes and dispelling conspiracy theories can be accomplished using the CRAAP method, strategy presented in issue #1, but this time we will focus specifically on the generation of hoaxes and how they can spin into conspiracy theories. We will compare a mundane hoax with a detrimental hoax to see how disinformation can spread with or without the internet. Lastly, we will look at how hoaxes and conspiracy theories can work together to bolster movements of hate and how we can counteract these movements by stopping the spread of disinformation online.
As always - thank you for reading, and if you know of someone you believe would enjoy reading Research Notes, please share!
What is a hoax?
If you have spent any amount of time on the internet, or, in fact, as a thinking human on earth, you probably already have a good idea of what a hoax is, but for the purpose of clarification, here is the Wikipedia definition of the word hoax:
A hoax is a falsehood deliberately fabricated to masquerade as the truth. Wikipedia
The distinction between hoaxes and other confusions such as pranks, rumours, or urban legends is that a hoax is meant to deliberately harm the receiver of the information and, in turn, those to whom the hoax is shared through fake news sites and social media. Hoaxes can be the catalysts for conspiracy theories, as individuals take the seed of the hoax and build upon it through bias news and media confirmation.
Hoaxes can also be pronounced by an official person through a speech or a tweet that can incite a riotous mob to cause damage to fellow citizens and institutions of government, but before we get into current events, let’s look back on a few highlights of hoaxes over the years.
Crop circles are a hoax
In the late 1970s, a group of concentric circles, in a southern England cornfield, became the source of much speculation. The circles were so large that people in the area did not believe that humans would have been able to create the circles themselves and there must have been another explanation for the strange patterns that appeared overnight in the field. Speculation began that perhaps the circles were created by aliens and, with that, a conspiracy theory was born.
In 1991, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley admitted to being the crop circle creators and went on to state that they had created 200 other circles since that first one in 1978. Bower and Chorley had created an elaborate hoax for fun that spawned multiple conspiracy theories, UFO landings chief amoung them.
Although this hoax was generally mundane, aside from farmers noting that bending the crops ruins the fields, it was still effective in creating a conspiracy theory that persists to this day. Although it has been proven by experts that these circles could be created by humans, many UFOlogists continue believing in the idea of alien landings.
Climate change is real
Back in middle school earth science, we learned about the greenhouse effect. This theory, which (in very basic terms) posits that CO2 has a negative effect on the climate, was continuously studied and confirmed from the early 19th century through the mid 20th century, but in the 1940s, companies that had a stake in debunking climate change started to commission reporters to write pieces claiming that the theory was false. They went about this in several different ways, all the while knowing that the effects of coal and oil production were raising the temperature of the earth steadily over time.
Climate change denial isn’t just a hoax that spawned a mundane conspiracy theory, like crop circles. This conspiracy is causing real and devastating effects on our current environmental state. By taking us out of the Paris Agreement, the POTUS essentially told the world that America will not comply with standards set forth to save the planet from demise and that, as Americans, we will be ramping up our production of environment killing chemicals, over time, to save the big businesses that thrive from fuel production. Here, capitalism is king and a silly thing like the environment and the planet being devastated by fossil fuels is merely collateral damage.
How to spot a hoax
I have oft repeated here that the best defense against misinformation and disinformation is research, and this time is no different. In order to spot a hoax, you have to consistently use your critical evaluation skills while navigating online spaces. Never let information just seep in without a review and always second guess things that seem strange. Even if you agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment of something you read online, be sure to evaluate the source where it emanates and check for bias on the part of the writer or producer of the work.
Wikipedia has a few great resources for review that will help you get a head start on assessing hoaxes and conspiracy theories:
That last list brings us back to the first section of this newsletter, where I mentioned that a hoax can quickly turn into a conspiracy theory that can prompt members of a group to do horrible things in the name of disinformation. Let’s take a look at how this phenomenon can occur, in real-time, through an official speech where the individual in power confirms a slew of hoaxes and conspiracy theories that the crowd already buys into.
Conspiracy theories fed the insurrection
On 6 January 2021, President Trump gave a speech, near the White House, in which he amped up the gathering crowd using several of the hoaxes and conspiracy theories that he promotes. The speech was quite long and rambling, but I’ve read through it (so you don’t have to!) and picked out the key points made. The following is a list of hoaxes and conspiracy theories the President touted and the quotes from the speech that connect them. (transcript source: US News and World Report)
Fake news media / Size of the 2016 inauguration crowd
“We have hundreds of thousands of people here and I just want them to be recognized by the fake news media.”
Stop the Steal conspiracy theory
“Big tech is now coming into their own. We beat them four years ago. We surprised them. We took them by surprise and this year they rigged an election. They rigged it like they’ve never rigged an election before.”
Note: the final vote count for the 2020 Presidential election was 81,283,485 popular/306 electoral votes for Biden to 74,223,744 popular/232 electoral votes for Trump. (source: NPR)
White genocide conspiracy theory
“And don’t worry, we will not take the name off the Washington Monument. We will not cancel culture.”
Since June of 2020, there has been a surge in activity to rename buildings and streets and tear down symbols of white supremacist hate across the country. The comment above eludes to the fact that removing these symbols of hate ‘replaces’ white people in society. This goes beyond just conspiracy theory touting and gets into very dangerous territory. This comment supports the “good people on both sides” nonsense that Trump professed after the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally in 2017, where white supremacists committed acts of violence and sowed fear in the community during their protest of the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. The speech the President gives during the riot and insurgence will mirror this rhetoric when he speaks directly to the Capitol insurrectionists, saying “Go home. We love you. You are very special.”
COVID-19 conspiracy theory
“But this year, using the pretext of the [slur removed] virus and the scam of mail-in ballots, Democrats attempted the most brazen and outrageous election theft and there’s never been anything like this.”
Biden-Ukraine conspiracy theory
“And how come Hunter gets three and a half million dollars from the mayor of Moscow’s wife, and gets hundreds of thousands of dollars to sit on an energy board, even though he admits he has no knowledge of energy? And millions of dollars up front.”
Before moving on to more rambling on hoaxes and conspiracy theories, the President stops for a true meta moment when he utters this priceless sentence, again referring to the “corrupt” media and his distress in them no longer broadcasting his rhetoric:
“We will not be intimidated into accepting the hoaxes and the lies that we’ve been forced to believe.”
After meandering through all the above theories multiple times, to ensure inculcation; adding a few dog whistles about Stacy Abrams, Former FLOTUS Michelle Obama, Former POTUS Barack Obama, and Oprah Winfrey, to seal the hatred and virulence of the crowd; and touting other less detrimental but still false conspiracies such as ‘Twitter shadow banning’ and ‘Liberal indoctrination of children in schools’; the President finally gets to the point he was cryptically making earlier in the speech.
“And we fight. We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Out of context, this may seem mundane. Like a statement that anyone who is angry about something they don’t agree with would say. But after an hour or more of drilling down into the worst conspiracy theory rhetoric to ramp up the tension and anger in the crowd, saying this one sentence was enough to push the people who were already on the edge to join those with plans at the Capitol on that day. Make no mistake - the rhetoric of the past 4 years in office, coupled with the 16 years prior, of touting these theories, along with being one of the main proponents of birtherism, has caused everything to come to a head. White supremacy is by no means a new phenomenon in America. In fact, the democracy that we often speak so lovingly about is built on it. But the incitement of the forces that already exist is inexcusable.
The good news, in all of this, is that hoaxes and conspiracy theories are easily dispellable with a bit of research. As you can see with the links already provided above and more below - there are many ways to vet these pieces of information to determine if they are valid or not. Taking the steps to do some additional searching and reading online can go a long way in dismantling the rhetoric that has grown up in the past 4 years. Moving in a new direction requires each of us to take initiative and action.
Fun Fact
If you have read this far, you deserve a fun fact I came across while researching hoaxes!
Did you know that the word Humbug does NOT mean a grumpy old man, as Dickens would have us believe based on Scrooge? Nope! The actual definition of the word Humbug is “a person or object that behaves in a deceptive or dishonest way, often as a hoax or in jest.” (source: Wikipedia) When Dickens used it for the character, apparently he was saying Humbug to Christmas, meaning that he felt the holiday was a fraud. This makes total sense now since Scrooge was a spendthrift and modern Christmas celebrations are a purely capitalist creation. Still - I always thought of Scrooge as the Humbug so this did blow my mind a bit.
I am often amazed at the things one can learn while digging through data that has very little, and sometimes absolutely nothing, to do with the topic of research. I know - I’m a nerd - and so are you if you have read this far - so welcome to the club!
Ways to participate this week
As is the tradition with each issue, here is a list of further ways to take action and get informed:
Read: Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News by Kevin Young
Further Reading: How a Presidential Rally Turned Into a Capitol Rampage - A visual timeline of the events of 6 January 2021, from the NY Times
Listen: The Get Up on Spotify - you definitely need this playlist in your life! They just kicked off last week and each day is a new edition. The show is broadcast at 7 am ET and listen at your leisure. The next morning, it is updated anew. Current events, polls, and other fun stuff await, along with music curated just for you. It has been getting me through the workdays and I know you will enjoy it as well.
Give: Race Forward