the role of online documentary video in contemporary conspiracy theories

The role of online documentary video incontemporary conspiracy theories

Marko Kovic

[email protected]

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!

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.

[1, 2, 3].

purposes.

[1, 2, 3].

purposes.

[1, 2, 3].

purposes.

[1, 2, 3].

incorrect, but a lie.

I A conspiracy theory claims that this lie originates from the

purposes.

[1, 2, 3].

purposes.

[1, 2, 3].

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.

happen!

epistemology» [4].

happen!

epistemology» [4].

happen!

epistemology» [4].

happen!

epistemology» [4].

happen!

epistemology» [4].

happen!

epistemology» [4].

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.

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.

home-made video.

necessarily true.

home-made video.

necessarily true.

home-made video.

necessarily true.

home-made video.

necessarily true.

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

Back in 2005, an amazing documentary was released online.

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.

real world.

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

of conspiracy theory.

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

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.

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.

In summary:

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

overview of tactics and tropes used online by the anti-vaccination movement”. In:

Vaccine. Special Issue: The Role of Internet Use in Vaccination Decisions 30.25 (2012),

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).