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Private: Explore our presentation on conspiracy theories

February 28, 2024

During the Corona pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the circulation of conspiracies online, and instead of staying on the fringes, conspiracies seem to have entered the mainstream. 

What is a conspiracy theory and why do they emerge? How can it be recognized and countered – or even better, prevented? What is the best strategy to reach out to those who are going down the rabbit hole of conspiracies? 

This activity aims to answer all these questions. We will first review what conspiracies are and what elements they consist of. We will then look at a few contemporary forms and examples, before moving on to the psychology of conspiracies, discussing why they can be attractive – and dangerous. In the last part of this activity, once we know how to recognize a conspiracy and what needs they respond to, we will discuss practical strategies of dealing with them – and the people who are spreading them.

Throughout the activity we will be using Covid-related conspiracies to illustrate the various points – however, as you can recall, conspiracies have been part of antisemitism since the Middle-Age and will continue to exist even when Covid-19 will be behind us.