how to redefine social relations thanks to conspiracy theorists
Up and down the rabbit hole of the conspiracy groups online
Almost two years ago, I decided to expose the conspiracy groups online. How did this idea come up to my mind? It all begun during the late period of the Covid-19 pandemic, when a group of friends tried to persuade me that “something was happening right under everyone's nose”.
For a certain period, they have tried to make me join “debates” on Skype and WhatsApp groups repeatedly, they have sent me hundreds of videos about the “great reset”, microchips inside the vaccines and other garbage that humankind have given to birth in recent history.
Spoiler alert, quite often everything ends up with Jewish people doing something bad to all of us. I have felt disappointed and surprised at the same time at hearing that rubbish from people I knew. It was insulting as well because I realized the malicious intent of most of them.
Nevertheless, it was also an experience that pushes me to a reconsideration of the people surrounding me and, by contrast, me itself. Once I got over my feelings about it, I wondered: how does the phenomenon of the conspiracy theories relate to me?
So here it is when my journey started with the purpose of getting to know more about this phenomenon and, to tell you the truth, just to kick some asses back before I move on. I have also felt like having a face-to-face conversation with the friend of mine who firstly came up with this wonderful idea of setting me up that way. So I did.
Back to my pointless conversations with these guys, I have noticed that there was a pattern in they behaviors, somehow organized, with modalities that reminded me the social media trolls. I was like trolling online had forged they attitudes and mindsets.
Therefore, an idea came to my mind: why don’t I create a fake profile on the social media and try to challenge them on their playground? I created a fake profile on YouTube and Twitter/X, my nick name was a combination of words which sounded like the “groupie of Soros” or the “Soros worshiper”, a sort of parody of people who believe in the Soros conspiracy theories.
Fun fact, some people got the hilariousness in this nickname laughing at it, but too many people got it seriously like an outrageous provocation. A few of them thought that I really was a sort of Soros militant trying to spread the voice of the Hungarian philanthropist.
However, instead of trolling back in a malicious way, I have tried to engage in respectful debates, focusing on promoting accurate information (when I was able to do it) and fostering constructive conversations with those willing to engage in good faith.
I don’t believe in blasting down people for their bias or ignorance, I presumably have some, indeed, I don’t like those ones who believe to be smart in evoking the Dunning–Kruger effect all the time or blame others for they incompetence. The potential impact of promoting accurate information and critical thinking is invaluable for me in addressing the challenges posed by fake news and conspiracy theories.
At least, this was my mood, at the beginning: the problem is that for sure it takes patience, persistence and time; too much time, especially if you use my Don Quixote way of handle it.
However, here was my approach as “undercover agent”.
Firstly, most of my interventions were open-ended questions. I have tried to approach these guys with empathy and understanding, when possible, and that was fine when it was just a matter of ignorance or fear.
I have tried to understand why they were holding those beliefs and I have tried to address any underlying concerns they may have had. Always avoiding condescension but trying to set people to a reflexive mode.
Secondly, I used to prompt the users to consider the sources of their information, the evidence supporting their claims, and the potential consequences of spreading misinformation. However, the most challenging aspect was providing counterarguments and redirecting to reliable sources.
This is because the conspiracy groups are the first ones who expose the most popular fact-checkers and source of information introducing their followers to them as the “enemies” or “part of the plot”. As my ex-friends would have said, “those ones” are well known for their incorrectness and lack of integrity.
They would have invited you paradoxically to verify information independently and consider multiple perspectives before forming conclusions. Which is their way of pushing you toward an endless flow of suggestions, suggestive hypothesis and arbitrary assumptions.
Furthermore, I learned some strategies for approaching these phenomena. It was quite clear that it is important to recognize when further engagement is unproductive or potentially harmful so that I could set boundaries: if the individual refuses to engage in good faith, persists in spreading harmful misinformation, or becomes hostile or abusive, it may be best to disengage and focus your efforts elsewhere.
When this happens, you are likely dealing with a true troll. They love to bring you in back-and-forth exchange of insults and inflammatory remarks, which rarely result in constructive dialogue. This is the real dark side of conspiracy people.
When you go in deep in these communities you can come across in a dangerous area, at least for your mental health, where it's difficult to distinguish between ignorance and malice. These people are resistant to any opposing viewpoint, they don’t accept it at all, quite often they just can’t even take in consideration this eventuality.
Engaging in trolling may only reinforce their beliefs and solidify their position. Arguing with these individuals can be draining and time-consuming. It may distract you from more meaningful activities or discussions.
Ultimately, it's essential to consider the potential impact of your actions and whether your quest aligns with your goals for promoting positive change and combating misinformation. The risk of misinterpretation is always there: you can be seen as troll in first place and being misinterpreted by others, leading them to perceive you negatively or as part of the problem rather than a constructive voice for change.
When you are set in these kinds of situations, you better opt out, otherwise you could see yourself just trolling back and become like Captain Ahab in Moby Dick novel, regardless of whether you are online or offline.