Making Sense of Uncertain Information Environments

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When presented with evidence that challenges a conspiracy theory, that evidence can be dismissed as some sort of attempt by the people in power to throw you off the trail. This state of mind is main tained by the system of psychological tools we use to make sense of uncertain information environments called collective sense making. Thereis more information available to the average person than ever before in human history. But as social primates that evolve language to trade information back and forth and between minds, they depend on trust to engage in epistemic vigilance.

When we talk about conspiracy theories we tend to focus on what people believe instead of why, and, more importantly, why they believe those things and not other things. In this episode, we sit down with two psychologists working to change that, and in addition, change the term itself from conspiracy theory to conspiracy narrative, which more accurately describes what makes any one conspiracy appealing enough to form a community around it and in rare cases result in collective action.