Big Ideas How conspiracy theories get inside our heads and take hold — Ariel Bogle, Cam Wilson, Gavin Fang, Tracey Kirkland
Jan 28, 2026
Tracey Kirkland, ABC News managing editor focused on trust and misinformation. Cam Wilson, journalist on tech and internet culture who co-wrote Conspiracy Nation. Ariel Bogle, investigations reporter into tech, internet and law and co-author of Conspiracy Nation. They discuss how conspiratorial thinking spreads online and offline. They explore community appeal, Australia’s specific narratives like Port Arthur, declining institutional trust, and practical ways to respond.
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Conspiracies Ruined A Relationship
- A woman’s relationship collapsed after her partner embraced QAnon-style COVID conspiracies, hoarding food and refusing vaccination.
- His obsession made him harder to live with and eventually led to their separation.
Conspiracies Offer Simple Epic Narratives
- Conspiracy theories frame a binary good-versus-evil story with a shadowy out-group plotting against ‘the rest of us’.
- Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson argue Australia has homegrown conspiracies rooted in local history and culture.
Early Internet Seeded Port Arthur Myths
- Joe Viles ran an early Port Arthur conspiracy campaign from his Perth home, publishing pamphlets and PDFs that spread online.
- His work seeded later communities and persists in large Facebook groups today.
