NiemanLab – Want to check out some new conspiracy theories? Social media is a great place to find them. But will it make you believe them? That’s the question asked by a new working paper looking at conspiracy theories surrounding the Donald Trump assassination attempt on July 13. (Gotta love it when academia moves quickly!) It suggests that, while social media is a productive source of conspiracy discovery, you’re more likely to believe theories you hear from friends and families. The paper is by Katherine Ognyanova (Rutgers), James N. Druckman (Rochester), Jonathan Schulman (Penn), Matthew A. Baum (Harvard), Roy H. Perlis (Harvard), and David Lazer (Northeastern). Social media spread conspiracy theories after Trump assassination attempt, but believing them was linked to interpersonal discussions. Here’s the abstract:

Conspiracy beliefs can lead to maladaptive and, in rare cases, even violent behaviors. Focusing on conspiracies about the assassination attempt on former President Trump, this report takes the rare step of differentiating exposure to conspiracy theories from belief in them. It finds that there is considerable exposure through social media. Yet, reliance on social media does not correlate with belief in conspiracy theories. Rather, interpersonal relationships play a larger role. Conspiratorial thinking and political motivations also significantly relate to holding a conspiracy belief.  The results suggest that corrective interventions would face substantial communicative and psychological hurdles.