The role of online documentary video incontemporary conspiracy theories

Marko Kovic

marko.kovic@skeptiker.ch

April 2, 2016

OutlineThis will be a short one!

I What are conspiracy theories?

I Why do conspiracy theories matter?

I Documentary �lms: Something very special!

I Conspiracy documentaries on the internet

I Conspiracy videos are not a side dish, but the main course!

OutlineThis will be a short one!

I What are conspiracy theories?

I Why do conspiracy theories matter?

I Documentary �lms: Something very special!

I Conspiracy documentaries on the internet

I Conspiracy videos are not a side dish, but the main course!

OutlineThis will be a short one!

I What are conspiracy theories?

I Why do conspiracy theories matter?

I Documentary �lms: Something very special!

I Conspiracy documentaries on the internet

I Conspiracy videos are not a side dish, but the main course!

OutlineThis will be a short one!

I What are conspiracy theories?

I Why do conspiracy theories matter?

I Documentary �lms: Something very special!

I Conspiracy documentaries on the internet

I Conspiracy videos are not a side dish, but the main course!

OutlineThis will be a short one!

I What are conspiracy theories?

I Why do conspiracy theories matter?

I Documentary �lms: Something very special!

I Conspiracy documentaries on the internet

I Conspiracy videos are not a side dish, but the main course!

OutlineThis will be a short one!

I What are conspiracy theories?

I Why do conspiracy theories matter?

I Documentary �lms: Something very special!

I Conspiracy documentaries on the internet

I Conspiracy videos are not a side dish, but the main course!

What are conspiracy theories?

I There’s is no one de�nitive de�nition of «conspiracy theory»

[1, 2, 3].

I But generally, a conspiracy theory can be understood as a truthclaim with four properties:

I A conspiracy theory is an alternative explanation for some event

in or state of the world.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the generally accepted

explanation for said event or state of the world is not just

incorrect, but a lie.I A conspiracy theory claims that this lie originates from the

people who caused the event or state in question.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the people who caused the

event or state in question did so for nefarious, self-serving

purposes.

What are conspiracy theories?

I There’s is no one de�nitive de�nition of «conspiracy theory»

[1, 2, 3].

I But generally, a conspiracy theory can be understood as a truthclaim with four properties:

I A conspiracy theory is an alternative explanation for some event

in or state of the world.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the generally accepted

explanation for said event or state of the world is not just

incorrect, but a lie.I A conspiracy theory claims that this lie originates from the

people who caused the event or state in question.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the people who caused the

event or state in question did so for nefarious, self-serving

purposes.

What are conspiracy theories?

I There’s is no one de�nitive de�nition of «conspiracy theory»

[1, 2, 3].

I But generally, a conspiracy theory can be understood as a truthclaim with four properties:

I A conspiracy theory is an alternative explanation for some event

in or state of the world.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the generally accepted

explanation for said event or state of the world is not just

incorrect, but a lie.I A conspiracy theory claims that this lie originates from the

people who caused the event or state in question.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the people who caused the

event or state in question did so for nefarious, self-serving

purposes.

What are conspiracy theories?

I There’s is no one de�nitive de�nition of «conspiracy theory»

[1, 2, 3].

I But generally, a conspiracy theory can be understood as a truthclaim with four properties:

I A conspiracy theory is an alternative explanation for some event

in or state of the world.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the generally accepted

explanation for said event or state of the world is not just

incorrect, but a lie.I A conspiracy theory claims that this lie originates from the

people who caused the event or state in question.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the people who caused the

event or state in question did so for nefarious, self-serving

purposes.

What are conspiracy theories?

I There’s is no one de�nitive de�nition of «conspiracy theory»

[1, 2, 3].

I But generally, a conspiracy theory can be understood as a truthclaim with four properties:

I A conspiracy theory is an alternative explanation for some event

in or state of the world.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the generally accepted

explanation for said event or state of the world is not just

incorrect, but a lie.

I A conspiracy theory claims that this lie originates from the

people who caused the event or state in question.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the people who caused the

event or state in question did so for nefarious, self-serving

purposes.

What are conspiracy theories?

I There’s is no one de�nitive de�nition of «conspiracy theory»

[1, 2, 3].

I But generally, a conspiracy theory can be understood as a truthclaim with four properties:

I A conspiracy theory is an alternative explanation for some event

in or state of the world.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the generally accepted

explanation for said event or state of the world is not just

incorrect, but a lie.I A conspiracy theory claims that this lie originates from the

people who caused the event or state in question.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the people who caused the

event or state in question did so for nefarious, self-serving

purposes.

What are conspiracy theories?

I There’s is no one de�nitive de�nition of «conspiracy theory»

[1, 2, 3].

I But generally, a conspiracy theory can be understood as a truthclaim with four properties:

I A conspiracy theory is an alternative explanation for some event

in or state of the world.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the generally accepted

explanation for said event or state of the world is not just

incorrect, but a lie.I A conspiracy theory claims that this lie originates from the

people who caused the event or state in question.

I A conspiracy theory claims that the people who caused the

event or state in question did so for nefarious, self-serving

purposes.

What are conspiracy theories?And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?

So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies

happen!

I Conspiracy theory 6= Theory of conspiracy

I Conspiracy theories are said to su�er from «crippled

epistemology» [4].

I But it’s more than that:

I They are logically fallacious.

I They depend on cognitive biases.

What are conspiracy theories?And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?

So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies

happen!

I Conspiracy theory 6= Theory of conspiracy

I Conspiracy theories are said to su�er from «crippled

epistemology» [4].

I But it’s more than that:

I They are logically fallacious.

I They depend on cognitive biases.

What are conspiracy theories?And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?

So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies

happen!

I Conspiracy theory 6= Theory of conspiracy

I Conspiracy theories are said to su�er from «crippled

epistemology» [4].

I But it’s more than that:

I They are logically fallacious.

I They depend on cognitive biases.

What are conspiracy theories?And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?

So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies

happen!

I Conspiracy theory 6= Theory of conspiracy

I Conspiracy theories are said to su�er from «crippled

epistemology» [4].

I But it’s more than that:

I They are logically fallacious.

I They depend on cognitive biases.

What are conspiracy theories?And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?

So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies

happen!

I Conspiracy theory 6= Theory of conspiracy

I Conspiracy theories are said to su�er from «crippled

epistemology» [4].

I But it’s more than that:

I They are logically fallacious.

I They depend on cognitive biases.

What are conspiracy theories?And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?

So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies

happen!

I Conspiracy theory 6= Theory of conspiracy

I Conspiracy theories are said to su�er from «crippled

epistemology» [4].

I But it’s more than that:

I They are logically fallacious.

I They depend on cognitive biases.

What are conspiracy theories?And what’s wrong with conspiracy theories?

So, why are conspiracy theories a problem? We know conspiracies

happen!

I Conspiracy theory 6= Theory of conspiracy

I Conspiracy theories are said to su�er from «crippled

epistemology» [4].

I But it’s more than that:

I They are logically fallacious.

I They depend on cognitive biases.

Why do conspiracy theories ma�er?

Because people believe in them!

I Conspiratorial belief is probably fairly widespread [5].

I Conspiracy theories spread easier than ever before, thanks to

the internet [6, 7, 8].

I It’s not all fun and games – people do sometimes act on those

sorts of beliefs [9].

Why do conspiracy theories ma�er?

Because people believe in them!

I Conspiratorial belief is probably fairly widespread [5].

I Conspiracy theories spread easier than ever before, thanks to

the internet [6, 7, 8].

I It’s not all fun and games – people do sometimes act on those

sorts of beliefs [9].

Why do conspiracy theories ma�er?

Because people believe in them!

I Conspiratorial belief is probably fairly widespread [5].

I Conspiracy theories spread easier than ever before, thanks to

the internet [6, 7, 8].

I It’s not all fun and games – people do sometimes act on those

sorts of beliefs [9].

Why do conspiracy theories ma�er?

Because people believe in them!

I Conspiratorial belief is probably fairly widespread [5].

I Conspiracy theories spread easier than ever before, thanks to

the internet [6, 7, 8].

I It’s not all fun and games – people do sometimes act on those

sorts of beliefs [9].

Why do conspiracy theories ma�er?

Because people believe in them!

I Conspiratorial belief is probably fairly widespread [5].

I Conspiracy theories spread easier than ever before, thanks to

the internet [6, 7, 8].

I It’s not all fun and games – people do sometimes act on those

sorts of beliefs [9].

Documentary filmsSomething very special

Documentary �lms are a special kind of �lm.

I We expect documentaries to document reality.

I Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create

an impression of it.

I Basically, it’s all in our head [10].

I Documentaries wield great persuasive power.

I Documentaries convey information in a way that is natural to

us: Seeing things and hearing things.

I The images we see are authentic, and we can’t help but believe

that what we hear is authentic as well.

Documentary filmsSomething very special

Documentary �lms are a special kind of �lm.

I We expect documentaries to document reality.

I Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create

an impression of it.

I Basically, it’s all in our head [10].

I Documentaries wield great persuasive power.

I Documentaries convey information in a way that is natural to

us: Seeing things and hearing things.

I The images we see are authentic, and we can’t help but believe

that what we hear is authentic as well.

Documentary filmsSomething very special

Documentary �lms are a special kind of �lm.

I We expect documentaries to document reality.

I Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create

an impression of it.

I Basically, it’s all in our head [10].

I Documentaries wield great persuasive power.

I Documentaries convey information in a way that is natural to

us: Seeing things and hearing things.

I The images we see are authentic, and we can’t help but believe

that what we hear is authentic as well.

Documentary filmsSomething very special

Documentary �lms are a special kind of �lm.

I We expect documentaries to document reality.

I Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create

an impression of it.

I Basically, it’s all in our head [10].

I Documentaries wield great persuasive power.

I Documentaries convey information in a way that is natural to

us: Seeing things and hearing things.

I The images we see are authentic, and we can’t help but believe

that what we hear is authentic as well.

Documentary filmsSomething very special

Documentary �lms are a special kind of �lm.

I We expect documentaries to document reality.

I Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create

an impression of it.

I Basically, it’s all in our head [10].

I Documentaries wield great persuasive power.

I Documentaries convey information in a way that is natural to

us: Seeing things and hearing things.

I The images we see are authentic, and we can’t help but believe

that what we hear is authentic as well.

Documentary filmsSomething very special

Documentary �lms are a special kind of �lm.

I We expect documentaries to document reality.

I Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create

an impression of it.

I Basically, it’s all in our head [10].

I Documentaries wield great persuasive power.

I Documentaries convey information in a way that is natural to

us: Seeing things and hearing things.

I The images we see are authentic, and we can’t help but believe

that what we hear is authentic as well.

Documentary filmsSomething very special

Documentary �lms are a special kind of �lm.

I We expect documentaries to document reality.

I Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create

an impression of it.

I Basically, it’s all in our head [10].

I Documentaries wield great persuasive power.

I Documentaries convey information in a way that is natural to

us: Seeing things and hearing things.

I The images we see are authentic, and we can’t help but believe

that what we hear is authentic as well.

Documentary filmsSomething very special

Documentary �lms are a special kind of �lm.

I We expect documentaries to document reality.

I Of course, even the most «objective» documentaries only create

an impression of it.

I Basically, it’s all in our head [10].

I Documentaries wield great persuasive power.

I Documentaries convey information in a way that is natural to

us: Seeing things and hearing things.

I The images we see are authentic, and we can’t help but believe

that what we hear is authentic as well.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe internet: You go�a take the good with the bad

The internet has profoundly changed human communication.

I That is great! In many ways, the internet has «democratized»

di�usion of creative works.

I Among other things, reaching potentially large audiences with

home-made video.

I But just because something is on the internet, it’s not

necessarily true.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe internet: You go�a take the good with the bad

The internet has profoundly changed human communication.

I That is great! In many ways, the internet has «democratized»

di�usion of creative works.

I Among other things, reaching potentially large audiences with

home-made video.

I But just because something is on the internet, it’s not

necessarily true.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe internet: You go�a take the good with the bad

The internet has profoundly changed human communication.

I That is great! In many ways, the internet has «democratized»

di�usion of creative works.

I Among other things, reaching potentially large audiences with

home-made video.

I But just because something is on the internet, it’s not

necessarily true.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe internet: You go�a take the good with the bad

The internet has profoundly changed human communication.

I That is great! In many ways, the internet has «democratized»

di�usion of creative works.

I Among other things, reaching potentially large audiences with

home-made video.

I But just because something is on the internet, it’s not

necessarily true.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe internet: You go�a take the good with the bad

The internet has profoundly changed human communication.

I That is great! In many ways, the internet has «democratized»

di�usion of creative works.

I Among other things, reaching potentially large audiences with

home-made video.

I But just because something is on the internet, it’s not

necessarily true.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe one that started it all, possibly

Back in 2005, an amazing documentary was released online.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe one that started it all, possibly

Back in 2005, an amazing documentary was released online.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe one that started it all, possibly

Back in 2005, an amazing documentary was released online.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe one that started it all, possibly

Loose Change was a big hit when it �rst came out.

I It established some of the core aesthetics that are typical of

contemporary conspiracy videos:

I Television footage.

I Photographs, still images.

I Constant voiceover.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe one that started it all, possibly

Loose Change was a big hit when it �rst came out.

I It established some of the core aesthetics that are typical of

contemporary conspiracy videos:

I Television footage.

I Photographs, still images.

I Constant voiceover.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe one that started it all, possibly

Loose Change was a big hit when it �rst came out.

I It established some of the core aesthetics that are typical of

contemporary conspiracy videos:

I Television footage.

I Photographs, still images.

I Constant voiceover.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe one that started it all, possibly

Loose Change was a big hit when it �rst came out.

I It established some of the core aesthetics that are typical of

contemporary conspiracy videos:

I Television footage.

I Photographs, still images.

I Constant voiceover.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe one that started it all, possibly

Loose Change was a big hit when it �rst came out.

I It established some of the core aesthetics that are typical of

contemporary conspiracy videos:

I Television footage.

I Photographs, still images.

I Constant voiceover.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

Conspiracy documentaries usually don’t have high production value

– but they are e�ective!

I We see many images that are authentic; they are images of the

real world.

I We can’t help but feel that what we hear is authentic as well.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

Conspiracy documentaries usually don’t have high production value

– but they are e�ective!

I We see many images that are authentic; they are images of the

real world.

I We can’t help but feel that what we hear is authentic as well.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

Conspiracy documentaries usually don’t have high production value

– but they are e�ective!

I We see many images that are authentic; they are images of the

real world.

I We can’t help but feel that what we hear is authentic as well.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

Conspiracy documentaries usually don’t have high production value

– but they are e�ective!

I We see many images that are authentic; they are images of the

real world.

I We can’t help but feel that what we hear is authentic as well.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level

of conspiracy theory.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level

of conspiracy theory.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level

of conspiracy theory.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new type

of conspiracy theory.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level

of conspiracy theory.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level

of conspiracy theory.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level

of conspiracy theory.

I Crisis actor conspiracy theories claim that direct and indirect

victims of terrorist or other criminal activity are actors.

I The whole event is staged.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level

of conspiracy theory.

I Crisis actor conspiracy theories claim that direct and indirect

victims of terrorist or other criminal activity are actors.

I The whole event is staged.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level

of conspiracy theory.

I Crisis actor conspiracy theories claim that direct and indirect

victims of terrorist or other criminal activity are actors.

I The whole event is staged.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

The logics of online conspiracy videos have given rise to a new level

of conspiracy theory.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

In summary:

I Conspiracy theories are epistemically defective inferences.

I Documentary �lms are a powerful �lm genre.

I Conspiracy documentaries are e�ective – by having a

documentary format, we cannot help but deem them credible.

I Conspiracy documentaries are the main vector of

contemporary conspiratorial ideation.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

In summary:

I Conspiracy theories are epistemically defective inferences.

I Documentary �lms are a powerful �lm genre.

I Conspiracy documentaries are e�ective – by having a

documentary format, we cannot help but deem them credible.

I Conspiracy documentaries are the main vector of

contemporary conspiratorial ideation.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

In summary:

I Conspiracy theories are epistemically defective inferences.

I Documentary �lms are a powerful �lm genre.

I Conspiracy documentaries are e�ective – by having a

documentary format, we cannot help but deem them credible.

I Conspiracy documentaries are the main vector of

contemporary conspiratorial ideation.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

In summary:

I Conspiracy theories are epistemically defective inferences.

I Documentary �lms are a powerful �lm genre.

I Conspiracy documentaries are e�ective – by having a

documentary format, we cannot help but deem them credible.

I Conspiracy documentaries are the main vector of

contemporary conspiratorial ideation.

Conspiracy documentaries on the internetThe allure of the real

In summary:

I Conspiracy theories are epistemically defective inferences.

I Documentary �lms are a powerful �lm genre.

I Conspiracy documentaries are e�ective – by having a

documentary format, we cannot help but deem them credible.

I Conspiracy documentaries are the main vector of

contemporary conspiratorial ideation.

That’s it! Thank you!

Bibliography I

[1] Daniel Pipes. Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where It Comes From.

Simon and Schuster, 1999. isbn: 978-1-4391-2404-8 (cit. on pp. 8–14).

[2] Lee Basham. “Living with the Conspiracy”. In: The Philosophical Forum 32.3 (2001),

pp. 265–280. doi: 10.1111/0031-806X.00065 (cit. on pp. 8–14).

[3] Brian L. Keeley. “Of Conspiracy Theories”. In: The Journal of Philosophy 96.3 (1999),

pp. 109–126. doi: 10.2307/2564659 (cit. on pp. 8–14).

[4] Cass R. Sunstein and Adrian Vermeule. “Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures*”. In:

Journal of Political Philosophy 17.2 (2009), pp. 202–227. doi:

10.1111/j.1467-9760.2008.00325.x (cit. on pp. 15–21).

[5] J. Eric Oliver and Thomas J. Wood. “Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of

Mass Opinion”. In: American Journal of Political Science 58.4 (2014), pp. 952–966. doi:

10.1111/ajps.12084 (cit. on pp. 22–26).

[6] Anna Kata. “Anti-vaccine activists, Web 2.0, and the postmodern paradigm – An

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pp. 3778–3789. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.11.112 (cit. on pp. 22–26).

[7] Michael J. Wood and Karen M. Douglas. “Online communication as a window to

conspiracist worldviews”. In: Frontiers in Psychology 6 (2015). doi:

10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00836 (cit. on pp. 22–26).

Bibliography II

[8] Wood Michael. “Has the internet been good for conspiracy theorising?” In: PsyPAGQuarterly 88 (2013), pp. 31–33 (cit. on pp. 22–26).

[9] Daniel Jolley and Karen M. Douglas. “The E�ects of Anti-Vaccine Conspiracy Theories

on Vaccination Intentions”. In: PLoS ONE 9.2 (2014), e89177. doi:

10.1371/journal.pone.0089177 (cit. on pp. 22–26).

[10] Dirk Eitzen. “When Is a Documentary?: Documentary as a Mode of Reception”. In:

Cinema Journal 35.1 (1995), pp. 81–102 (cit. on pp. 27–34).