Conspiracy theories stay viable by anchoring to real events people care about

Evidence

An effective conspiracy theory leverages real events to cast doubt on mainstream and official explanations. For example, #Pizzagate rooted its false allegations in claims that ‘codewords’ had been found in leaked emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, John Podesta, and that these codes referred to a child-trafficking ring operating out of the basement of a pizzeria (the apparent connection being that ‘cheese pizza’ is a term and emoji that paedophiles use on chat boards, ‘cp’ standing for ‘child pornography’.) The Sandy Hook conspiracy theory uses the elementary school shooting event as evidence for a false flag operation orchestrated by the US government in an attempt to crack down on American gun rights. The Plandemic conspiracy theory suggests that the Covid-19 pandemic is a hoax largely in an attempt to fuel and spread anti-vaccination sentiment. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 747

Categorization

• XREF: Supports and enriches the earlier chapter 4 finding that belief in conspiracies satisfies epistemic and existential needs. — connects to: Conspiracy theories satisfy epistemic, existential, and social needs — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 179; Conspiracy theories succeed only when anchored in issues people care about — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 748; Numerological reasoning can connect any event to a favored conspiracy conclusion — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 774 (+1 more)
• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source

Broader Connections

• Conspiracy theories succeed only when anchored in issues people care about #corroborates (0.95) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 748