-- Shares Facebook Twitter Reddit Email It’s been a wild month for conspiracy theories in America. When President Joe Biden announced he would step down as the Democratic presidential nominee, fringe conjectures have spread regarding his whereabouts. Specifically, many were speculating whether or not he’s alive , though his first public appearance since contracting COVID on July 17 should hopefully answer that question.
Just a week before, when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire at a former President Trump campaign rally, many people also gravitated toward conspiracy theories to make sense of what happened. People on both sides of the political spectrum latched on to various strains of viral misinformation. Some on the left believed the assassination attempt was staged in order to garner sympathy for the former president.
Others on the right blamed the assassination attempt on the Democrats . The degree of factual content inherent in these conspiracy theories isn’t as relevant as the fact that they keep sprouting and many believe them at face value. It's part of a much larger trend in America, but also across the globe.
In 2022, researchers found that beliefs in conspiracy theories have increased over the last 50 years in seven different nations. In a time of chaos and uncertainty with an unprecedented presidential race , mental health experts say part of the appeal is that conspiracy theories are being used as a coping mechanism in chaotic times. Related Why some New Age.