On Social Media Use and Conspiracy Beliefs

• In Event: Science, Knowledge & Technology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 11: The Social Transformation of Knowledge in the Digital Age

Abstract

Social media use and belief in conspiracy theories are closely associated, yet the precise nature of this relationship remains poorly understood. I clarify two key aspects of this pattern through analysis of four national survey datasets – datasets covering a wide host of conspiracy beliefs, social media indicators, social status attributes, and pertinent controls. First, my analyses suggest that the manner of social media use matters. Specifically, those who use a broader array of social media platforms (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube) are considerably more conspiratorial, regardless of how often those platforms are used. Second, I assess whether the relation between social media use and such views holds across all social positions. I find a persistent pattern: social media use is only a strong predictor of conspiracy beliefs for those relatively high in educational attainment. Rather than uncritical and passive susceptibility via simple exposure, these findings are more consistent with a model of conspiracy engagement driven by class-conditioned taste – where the active, investigative orientation toward knowledge cultivated by class position is, on social media, exercised in part via conspiratorial discovery and distinction.

Author

• Saverio Roscigno, University of California-Irvine