Conspiracy entrepreneurs manufacture charges for money, celebrity, and influence.

Evidence

Much of the new conspiracism originates with conspiracist entrepreneurs, ambitious people who peddle conspiracy in return for money, celebrity, and influence. Take Alex Jones, the Texas talk show host who was once among the most prominent producers of conspiracist narratives. (And a declared favorite of Trump.) Conspiracism is a lucrative business, and Jones manufactures charges that he expects will be popular. His business is entertainment: he works to make his narratives titillating and persuasive. But he also wants political influence. He wants his audience to find his claims true enough—worth amplifying and repeating online in what has become a distinct form of political participation. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 134

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Removing editorial gatekeepers opened the way for conspiracy entrepreneurs; Conspiracy entrepreneurs track trending news to exploit cultural heat — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror…, 338; Conspiracy theories function as attention displacement devices for billionaires — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror…, 743 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Conspiracy entrepreneurs track trending news to exploit cultural heat #expands (0.82) — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, 338
• Fraudsters transformed into celebrities in the 2010s through media coverage of their crimes #exemplifies (0.80) — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 575
• Conspiracy fabrications arise from social resentment, not just vested interest. #qualifies (0.78)
• Conspiracy theories function as attention displacement devices for billionaires #complicates (0.75) — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, 743