הA researcher tried to assess the meaning of the insights he received about the fight against disinformation
By Carlos Diaz Ruiz, Associate Professor, Henken School of Economics
Around the world, and contrary to all scientific evidence, a considerable segment of the population believes that the round shape of the earth is an unproven theory or an elaborate hoax. Surveys of YouGov America In 2018 and FDU In 2022 they found that 11% of Americans believe that "the Earth" may be flat.
While it's tempting to dismiss the "people of the flat earth" as mildly entertaining, we ignore the danger to us. Surveys They show that there is an overlap between the belief in different conspiracy theories, some of which can be used as gateways to radicalization. QAnon and the theory of the great exchange, for example, have proven to be lethal more then once
By studying how the people of the Flat Earth talk about their beliefs, we can learn how they make their arguments compelling to their audience, and further learn what causes disinformation to spread online.
in a study conducted Recently, my colleague Thomas Nilsson of Linnaeus University and I analyzed hundreds of YouTube videos in which people claim that the Earth is flat. We observed their discussion techniques to understand the structure of their arguments and how they make them seem rational.
One strategy they use is to take sides in existing debates. People who are deeply attached to one side of a culture war may invoke any argument (including truths, half-truths, and opinions) if it helps them win. People invest their identity in the group and are more willing to believe other allies than those perceived as opponents - a phenomenon that sociologists call neo-tribalism.
The problem arises when people internalize disinformation as part of their identity. While news articles can be fact-checked, personal beliefs cannot. When conspiracy theories are part of someone's value system or worldview, they are difficult to challenge.
The three foundations of the flat earth theory
In analyzing these videos, we saw that flat earth believers are taking advantage of the ongoing culture wars by inserting their own arguments into the logic of, mainly, three main arguments. These discussions are years long and can be very personal for the participants on both sides.
The first is the discussion about the existence of God, which goes back to ancient times, and is based on logic, not on observation. People have been arguing for generations about atheism vs. faith, evolution vs. creationism, and the big bang vs. intelligent design. What the flat earthers are doing is placing their argument within the long-standing struggle of the Christian right, which claims that atheists are using pseudoscience – evolution, the big bang and the round earth – to turn people away from God.
A common refrain of the flat earth theory that connects to religious beliefs is that God can physically inhabit the sky above us only on a flat plane, not a sphere. As one of the flat earthers put it:
"They invented the Big Bang to deny that God created everything, and they invented evolution to convince you that he cares more about the monkeys than you... They invented the round earth because God cannot be above you if he is also below you, and they invented an infinite universe, to To make you believe that God is far from you."
The second theme is a conspiracy theory that sees ordinary people standing up against the ruling elite of corrupt politicians and celebrities. Knowledge is power, and this theory claims that those with power conspire to keep knowledge to themselves by distorting the fundamental nature of reality. The message is that people are easily controlled if they believe what they are told and not what their eyes see. Indeed, the Earth does appear flat to the naked eye. The people of Flat Earth see themselves as part of a community of unsung heroes, fighting against the tyranny of an elite that makes the public not believe what they see.
The third theme is based on an argument "free thinking", which begins with the heated debate about the presence or absence of God in the text of the US Constitution. This secular view asserts that rational people should not believe in authority or example—instead, they should rely only on their own logic and experience. Free people don't trust experts who use "book knowledge" or "nonsense math" that ordinary people can't replicate. Flat Earthers often use personal observations to test whether the Earth is round, especially through homemade experiments. They see themselves as the visionaries and scientists of yesteryear, like Galileo of today.
Possible counter reactions
The fight against disinformation on social networks is difficult when people internalize it as a personal belief. Fact checking can be ineffective because disinformation becomes a personal opinion or value.
Responding to the followers of the flat earth (or other conspiracy theorists) requires an understanding of the logic that makes their arguments convincing. For example, if you know they find arguments from authority unconvincing, then choosing a government scientist as a spokesperson for a counter-response may not be effective. Instead, it may be more appealing to suggest Homemade experiment that anyone can perform.
If we can identify the rationality behind their specific beliefs, then a backlash can invoke that logic. Know-it-alls in the group are often the key to this – only a speaker with impeccable credentials as a devout Christian can say that you don't need flat earth beliefs to stay true to your faith.
In general, beliefs like the flat earth theory, QAnon, and the great replacement theory are growing because they appeal to a sense of group identity under attack. Even misinformation and far-fetched conspiracies can appear rational if they fit into existing conventions. Because social media discussions only require content to be posted, participants create a feedback loop that establishes disinformation as viewpoints that cannot be fact-checked.
For an article in The Conversation
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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When consciousness is superficial, a sphere is also flat.
The consciousness is superficial for two reasons that are separate in origin, but accumulate together for this sad result.
A) Low IQ. 16% of the population has an IQ lower than 85, which I really don't know what logical conclusions can be drawn with such equipment, even if all the other data is impeccable.
b) emotional disorders. A much higher percentage than the aforementioned 16% have emotional disorders that prevent them from making decisions based on the data in front of them, and force them to make wrong decisions, sometimes the same wrong decisions over and over again, or that stick them and prevent a decision at all (procrastination, or chronic hesitation, or a change of mind and repeat). Sometimes these are incredibly intelligent people, who outside their sphere of success behave like children without intelligence.
Those who cannot make a rational decision are the basic raw material for beliefs and ideologies. He believes in a certain idea and/or person, and no logical argument will convince him. These make up the great majority of the human population since time immemorial, and therefore a democracy in which the majority really decides - really makes foolish decisions that cause, sooner or even sooner, suffering for all parties.
This is a fundamental flaw in the brain activity of about a third of the population, who are able to believe absolutely in something they have no idea about. Usually the belief comes from having heard or read something and they internalize the information as if it were real knowledge. Examples: People who believe there is a God. People who believe there is a devil, angels and evil spirits. People who believe that God was born from a womb without a father. People who believe that there are many gods who are constantly fighting with each other. People who believe the earth is flat. People who believe they will live forever. People who believe that a certain guru is God. People who believe that aliens are hiding with spaceships behind comets. People who believe that a certain politician is a superior person. People who believe that other people eat children or use their blood to bake matzah.
You can go on almost indefinitely. It's a matter that affects about a third of the people, and in the last century caused the killing of about 50 million people by a third of Germans who believed in Hitler. In the current century there are more modest examples - a third of the population in Russia who believes in Putin who has already passed the million dead, a third in China with Xi who has already removed tens of thousands of their organs and brainwashed millions, a third in several other dictatorships, and of course the third in the US and Israel who are addicted to two aspiring to be dictators.
Obviously the earth is flat.
This is not disinformation. It is known and clear that the moon is made of cheese. And you don't have to go to the moon to prove it.
Since it is known that the moon has separated from the earth, it is enough to dig a deep hole to go through the layer of sand and taste.
It is true that it is sometimes difficult to find where the layer of cheese is close to the surface of the earth, but if you enter the mines and taste it, you will feel the taste of the cheese.
All that is possible is to feel sorry for them because it is clear that they live in a two-dimensional perception without the ability to grasp three dimensions and certainly not multi-dimensionality, wretched men!