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Easily disprovable conspiracy theories like this have always existed, but it's funny (and sad) to see them actually convince hundreds of thousands of people thr

Easily disprovable conspiracy theories like this have always existed, but it's funny (and sad) to see them actually convince hundreds of thousands of people through the momentum of social media these days. People really want to think they're smarter than the "rest of the sheep." What's ironic is the real conspiracy they're missing is the people who publish & promote these theories (YouTubers, Bloggers, etc) probably don't believe any of it themselves and are just trying to make a buck from the gullible.

GuiA 7y ago
It’s a gregariousness thing. Humans like to be in groups, and modern life has strongly reduced the quantity and kind of groups we can be a part of, as well as loosened family ties which used to prime over everything else. Flat earthers aren’t spending their time writing equations to justify their views - they’re posting in Facebook groups, going to conventions, etc. People become flat earthers not because of their scientific beliefs, but because there is a flat earth movement to become a part of. It’s about the social group first and foremost, feeling smarter than the establishment is an added bonus.
- pimlottc 7y ago
  > gregarity I think you mean gregariousness?
  - GuiA 7y ago
    Yup!
- mywittyname 7y ago
  > feeling smarter than the establishment is an added bonus. Intelligence is the most important trait for determining social rank in humans, especially for men. This means that a lot of people are very insecure about their perceived lack of intelligence. So being right when another "smart" group was wrong is a huge sense of validation for people and it helps boost their self-esteem. Given that, I wouldn't be so sure that feeling smarter isn't the primary draw.
- mopsi 7y ago
  > It’s about the social group first and foremost This was very well highlighted in "Behind the Curve" documentary (available on Netflix). One of the main figures of the flat-earth movement spoke quite openly that he lost his friends when he "found the truth", and doesn't want to go through that again. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZzsq40Bx2Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZzsq40Bx2Y
microcolonel 7y ago
People still try to sell the most obnoxious expressions of the "gender wage gap" conspiracy theory, something almost as obvious to people with internet as the curvature of the horizon is to people with eyes; with a similar degree of publicly-available refutation. I would not be so quick to assume a majority of the peddlers don't believe what they're saying. People regularly impose ritualistic deliberate ignorance upon themselves in order to conform or to stand out positively in a social group. People will engage this unpaid labour against this very post, for example. The Flat-Earth drama is a community now, just like everything, so attempts to humiliate the group only make them more certain that they're on to something.
DEADBEEFC0FFEE 7y ago
Yep, the conspiracy industry is real.

GuiA 7y ago

It’s a gregariousness thing. Humans like to be in groups, and modern life has strongly reduced the quantity and kind of groups we can be a part of, as well as loosened family ties which used to prime over everything else. Flat earthers aren’t spending their time writing equations to justify their views - they’re posting in Facebook groups, going to conventions, etc. People become flat earthers not because of their scientific beliefs, but because there is a flat earth movement to become a part of. It’s about the social group first and foremost, feeling smarter than the establishment is an added bonus.

pimlottc 7y ago
> gregarity I think you mean gregariousness?
- GuiA 7y ago
  Yup!
mywittyname 7y ago
> feeling smarter than the establishment is an added bonus. Intelligence is the most important trait for determining social rank in humans, especially for men. This means that a lot of people are very insecure about their perceived lack of intelligence. So being right when another "smart" group was wrong is a huge sense of validation for people and it helps boost their self-esteem. Given that, I wouldn't be so sure that feeling smarter isn't the primary draw.
mopsi 7y ago
> It’s about the social group first and foremost This was very well highlighted in "Behind the Curve" documentary (available on Netflix). One of the main figures of the flat-earth movement spoke quite openly that he lost his friends when he "found the truth", and doesn't want to go through that again. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZzsq40Bx2Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZzsq40Bx2Y

microcolonel 7y ago

People still try to sell the most obnoxious expressions of the "gender wage gap" conspiracy theory, something almost as obvious to people with internet as the curvature of the horizon is to people with eyes; with a similar degree of publicly-available refutation. I would not be so quick to assume a majority of the peddlers don't believe what they're saying. People regularly impose ritualistic deliberate ignorance upon themselves in order to conform or to stand out positively in a social group. People will engage this unpaid labour against this very post, for example. The Flat-Earth drama is a community now, just like everything, so attempts to humiliate the group only make them more certain that they're on to something.

DEADBEEFC0FFEE 7y ago

Yep, the conspiracy industry is real.