This never comes in discussion with my friends that happen to be mostly on the left although they've moved more to the right in the past couple of years.
Thing is, everyone has conspiracy theories and your RL friends have already told you theirs. Only online can you get called a conspiracy theorist.
I think it's less about real life versus the internet and more about how much a conspiracy theory aligns with prevailing thought.
There were no problems regurgitating the Donald Trump pee tape conspiracy theory when they were bombarded with it from multiple media outlets. everyone else believed it, so it was okay to believe it yourself.
at the same time, if you were someone who asserted the Wuhan lab leak theory, which made tons of sense given the evidence, you were a conspiracy nut Job because people were bombarded with media outlets telling them it wasn't true.
Even then it was online and the media. I've not had one case where anyone thought that the Wuhan lab leak theory made you a nut Job. Even those that did not believe it thought it was a reasonable idea to have.
Shower thought:
This never comes in discussion with my friends that happen to be mostly on the left although they've moved more to the right in the past couple of years.
Thing is, everyone has conspiracy theories and your RL friends have already told you theirs. Only online can you get called a conspiracy theorist.
I think it's less about real life versus the internet and more about how much a conspiracy theory aligns with prevailing thought.
There were no problems regurgitating the Donald Trump pee tape conspiracy theory when they were bombarded with it from multiple media outlets. everyone else believed it, so it was okay to believe it yourself.
at the same time, if you were someone who asserted the Wuhan lab leak theory, which made tons of sense given the evidence, you were a conspiracy nut Job because people were bombarded with media outlets telling them it wasn't true.
Even then it was online and the media. I've not had one case where anyone thought that the Wuhan lab leak theory made you a nut Job. Even those that did not believe it thought it was a reasonable idea to have.