Why trolls, extremists: spread conspiracy theories they don't believe

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https://arstechnica.com/science/202...spread-conspiracy-theories-they-dont-believe/

There has been a lot of research on the types of people who believe conspiracy theories, and their reasons for doing so. But there’s a wrinkle: My colleagues and I have found that there are a number of people sharing conspiracies online who don’t believe their own content.

They are opportunists. These people share conspiracy theories to promote conflict, cause chaos, recruit and radicalize potential followers, make money, harass, or even just to get attention.


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Hmmm. I can't help but be reminded of this.
 
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They are opportunists. These people share conspiracy theories to promote conflict, cause chaos, recruit and radicalize potential followers, make money, harass, or even just to get attention.
There appears to be a certain degree of malice involved.

Whether or not someone believes certain conspiracies or misinformation, the malice seems a common factor. I'm troubled that some of that misinformation and those conspiracy theories are contributing to a threatening environment.

Meteorologists Get Death Threats as Hurricane Milton Conspiracy Theories Thrive
https://news.yahoo.com/news/meteorologists-death-threats-hurricane-milton-214003547.html
 
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Baluncore said:
And then there are a few opportunists, who make a steady income by debunking the charlatans. It takes two to tango.
https://www.youtube.com/@CreakyBlinder
Is that opportunism or is it a useful service.

All new businesses hope to take advantage of opportunity.
 
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It mirrors the history of the telephone:

1) Telco provides phone service for everyone with anonymity ie phone just rings
2) everyone gets telemarketting spam calls
3) Telco adds caller id to identify whose calling
4) spammers spoof caller id
5) Telco marks calls as spam or telemarketer
6) ...
 
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jedishrfu said:
1) Telco provides phone service for everyone with anonymity ie phone just rings
2) everyone gets telemarketting spam calls
3) Telco adds caller id to identify whose calling
4) spammers spoof caller id
5) Telco marks calls as spam or telemarketer
6) ...

6) We learned
a) don't answer unrecognized numbers/caller IDs, let them go to Voice Mail. You can pick up if you realize it is a legitimate caller
b) the spammers have learned that Voice Mail messages are not returned and hang up at the "Beep"
(probably because they don't reveal their real phone number)​

We are then left with clearing the "Missed Call" list and maybe a few partial Voice Mails -- which can be done in batch mode every few days.

All of which is still a Pain In The A**.

Every time your number is leaked there will be a spike of junk calls, tapering off for around 3 weeks.

To avoid the above, do NOT supply a phone number as part of ANY log-on, sign-up, purchase, etc. (banks and police seem to be safe). It can take 2 to 3 months for your phone number to disappear from the many lists of potential Marks (suckers).

If a phone number is required for something you actually need, enter the number for Directory Assistance. Here in the US that number is <area code> 555-1212 and the phone companies tend to charge $1 per call.
(After all, isn't turn-about fair play?)

There used to be 2 to 4 junk calls per day here. Implementing the above has cut that to weeks at a time without any junk calls.

Have Fun!
 
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One last aside, and we should get back to our regularly scheduled thread on trolls and extremists.
Doctors' offices use third-party services to notify you of upcoming appointments. During that time, I started receiving a lot of telemarketers and spam calls.

I feel this is a HIPPA violation, as these services know what doctor you are seeing and may pass that information onto spammers. One example is that my ENT doctor's office reminder service would call/text/email me a confirmation reminder, and shortly thereafter, I started getting hearing aid sales pitches.
 
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jedishrfu said:
One last aside, and we should get back to our regularly scheduled thread on trolls and extremists.

jedishrfu said:
One last aside, and we should get back to our regularly scheduled thread on trolls and extremists.


I feel this is a HIPPA violation, as these services know what doctor you are seeing and may pass that information onto spammers. One example is that my ENT doctor's office reminder service would call/text/email me a confirmation reminder, and shortly thereafter, I started getting hearing aid sales pitches.
Most medical offices now use a patient portal that is provided by a third party. If you need to wear a heart monitor ... yep the equipment and the monitoring via cell connection will probably involve a third party.
 
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I recently bought a security camera and registered for their cloud service. I believe they sold my telephone and credit card numbers.
 
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Back to the original topic… I don’t understand why people can be so eager to believe in conspiracy theories and outright lies. Maybe they don’t want to think hard about why things are, and it’s easier to let somebody else do the hard thinking for them? Or perhaps they find a conspiracy theory that matches their pre-existing world view, and they latch onto it, even (or especially) when confronted with evidence to the contrary.
 
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My views are against pf community standards so I mayn't express them here.
 
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Arguing against what you actually believe in, is a fundamental requirement for success in debating, in legal practice, and in politics.

In science, it is important to have an open mind, while at the same time it is advantageous not to confuse the students. Science is truth, do not be misled by fact.
 
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Flyboy said:
Back to the original topic… I don’t understand why people can be so eager to believe in conspiracy theories and outright lies.
A big part of it is an outlet for feeling powerless in their daily lives(and not doing anything to fix it).
 
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