A Conspiracy this Big Leaves Footprints, Jake: Detecting a Conspiracy of Hope

• In Event: In-Depth Analyses of Individual Media Offerings

Abstract

While the word “conspiracy” brings to mind dark themes and evil people, this paper argues that conspiracy themes can be used on television to promote an atmosphere of hope. Using the television show “Jericho” as an example, this paper discusses the way a narrative can flip the traditional conspiracy script to focus on democratic, rather than authoritarian personalities, and to portray the evil enemy as something besides a foreign terrorist group or the government.

Author

• Erin Doss, Purdue University