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Networks, Conspiracy Theories, and Lizard People

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/28/health/psychology-conspiracy-theories.html

 

Over 1 in 3 Americans today believe that Covid-19 was a bioengineered weapon set loose on the general public by the Chinese government. 1 in 3. That’s over 33 percent of our peers, teachers, fellow students, parents, and mentors alike that hold firm belief in a conspiracy theory. Historically, conspiracy theories were reserved for wide-eyed alien enthusiasts, and people living in vans with nothing but time and ayahuasca on their hands. It seems, however, recent times are revealing a dangerous trend of these conspiracies, and following them, becoming more and more accepted in the mainstream. The article at hand even discusses some of the more extreme theories involving “lizard people” and “satanic pedophiles” joining forces to brew Covid-19 in a hidden laboratory for their own “dark purposes”. Lizard people? Surely this is not real life. 

So then, how does this all relate to graph and network theory? We have discussed the idea of strong and weak ties within a network of connected people, say, a neighborhood of families. Strong ties are those that hold real personal meaning, and signify a robust relationship, like a father to a daughter, or daughter to her best friend. Weak ties are those that more or less exist for the sake of existing, with little real meaning behind them. Consider that of a man, and his neighbor whom he sees twice a year and only ever swaps greetings with. Each strong and weak tie carries with it a set of pros and cons. Weak ties are easily maintained, but generally unstable as a result. Strong ties carry meaningful weight, but can be damaged if one side acts out. 

Furthermore, we see that behavior within these networks are reliant upon the types of ties each person has with each other. Two people who hold weak ties are less likely to follow one another, whereas a strong tie may be enough to convince another to change their viewpoints. We can theorize how this concept, then, can explain why these conspiracies seem to spread like wildfire. Suppose one member of a family falls victim to one of these “Chinese virus” theories. This person may fit the psychological profile, outline in the article, of the injustice collector. Impulsive, overconfident, and eager to expose those around them. Now, suppose this person, call him Jeb, decides to let everyone he knows in on his little secret. Weak ties assumingly ignore his confusing rantings on Facebook, but strong ties get it a little worse. His parents and friends are subject to his constant spouts on these “lizard people”, to the point of insanity. Let’s say, holding true to the aforementioned statistic, that 1 out of every 3 of Jeb’s strong ties he rants to ends up joining the cause. From there, each 1 out of every 3 strong ties that person has follows suite, and so on and so forth. Soon enough, we have an entire internal network of conspiracy theorists spewing garbage and recruiting new members. Thanks to graph theory, now we have a little more perspective on just how these conspiracies can spread the way they do.

Perhaps, then, it is of our best interest to keep our internet friends and estranged uncles at a Facebook’s length away. I mean really, lizard people?

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