Angelina Havaris
April 3rd, 2021
James Bridle’s article
New Dark Age: Technology and the End of the Future details how conspiracy theory narratives come into being, specifically looking at the development of the chemtrails theory — which believes that chemicals sprayed by commercial, military, and other types of aircraft are part of a widespread programme of solar radiation management (Bridle 11). Some believe that the chemicals are used to cause diseases or deformities. Others believe it is a plot by shadow forces to take over the world. There are also some who believe that the chemicals are being used to turn people into mindless drones or deliberately making them sick in order to benefit the pharmaceutical industry. Like a hydra from Greek mythology, one conspiracy spawns a dozen others that are also trying to make sense of things that come across as even being remotely unusual. As James Bridle so perfectly puts it, “we’re all looking at the same skies, but we’re seeing different things.” (10).
Gone are the days where conspiracy theories were just random speculations about possible UFO crash landing sights.
With the advancement of technology and information available at our fingertips, speculations suddenly risked becoming ideologies. The internet’s ability to connect us with like-minded individuals we would otherwise not meet, allows for our views to be constantly validated in a never-ending loop where ideas can be built and expanded on top of one another. Even fun theories about celebrities can quickly become disturbing when mention of criminal behaviour such as kidnapping or murder is involved.
This has made me weary of googling conspiracy theories in fear of where the results might take me. According to Elise Wang’s Ted Talk,
Why Some Conspiracy Theories Just Won't Die, Wang talks about how it only took her four videos until the Youtube algorithm was suggesting videos of dark conspiracy theories that were completely unrelated to the video she’d initially been watching. With Youtube channels and video series exclusively dedicated to conspiracy theories such as Buzzfeed Unsolved's
Conspiracy Theories Explained, this allows the public to have a peek into the realm of conspiracy, all the while fueling their appetite for more and more curated content from this strange and oftentimes disturbing world.
Since YouTube’s goal is to keep you engaged on their platform for as long as possible, suggesting content that becomes increasingly radical is a perfect solution from a business point of view. Similar to how shock-value is often utilized to elicit reactions from the public, conspiracy theories are most dangerous because they start off as shocking and radical views until they aren’t anymore and the viewer is desensitized.
The inability to distinguish between what is real and what isn’t reminds me of similar ideas that are presented in dystopian novels. George Orwell’s
1984, while a commentary on how the truth in politics can be manipulated, also highlights the notion of constant surveillance, which is a popular topic of discussion within certain conspiracy theories. The idea that people alter their behaviour when they know they are being watched parallels a similar idea where nowadays, people alter their beliefs and perceptions if they believe that there are other like-minded individuals out there, therefore, making what they believe to be true.
One popular conspiracy theory of the Illuminati, which is a theory that the Illuminati secret society is infiltrating the media in order to brainwash everyone and establish a New World Order of totalitarianism, is reminiscent of the plot of 1984 (both also are commonly symbolized in visual media with eyes) demonstrating how the line between speculation and conspiracy can easily be blurred. Conspiracy theories take the uncertainty of life and regard it as something that has the potential to be darker or more bizarre than one could dream up.
James Bridle looks at how conspiracy theories develop as a result of the uncertainty of the world around us. Ironically though, as people cultivate conspiracy theories, what once seemed uncertain to them have now transformed into things that they are absolutely certain of.
Bridle, James.
New Dark Age: Technology and the End of the Future. London, Brooklyn. Verso, 2018.
1984 Illustration. n.d. Denis Hamel Côté and CBS Televison
An All-Seeing Eye Atop A Pyramid, A Symbol For The Secret Society Known As The Illuminati. n.d. Shutterstock.
"Conspiracy Theories Explained".
YouTube. Uploaded by Buzzfeed Unsolved Network, Last Updated 3 Dec. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD8iUdp33PqRSBWIIJzfb6deCtlK9OMWi
"Why Some Conspiracy Theories Just Won't Die | Elise Wang | TedxDuke" .
YouTube. Uploaded by TedxTalks, 16 May. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjVNcAAf7pA
Illustration of 1984.