At a Saturday brunch before coronavirus ‘got real’ in Europe, I unexpectedly found myself sharing eggs Florentine with an underground conspiracy theorist. My smart, otherwise level-headed friend had been ‘reliably informed’ that the virus had been leaked from a research lab in Wuhan. Why? To depopulate an overcrowded world (obviously). After all, she reasoned, it’s older generations and the vulnerable that are most at risk. Don’t you think that’s suspicious? Frankly, her opinion alarmed me and I put it down to one too many mimosas.

Fast forward two weeks though and, predictably, conspiracy theories about coronavirus are spreading as rapidly as the pandemic itself. Social media is now ablaze with fake news surrounding the global health crisis, with some claiming it’s a bioweapon engineered by the CIA to wage war on China. (China, of course, claim the opposite.) Others are convinced that the virus has been introduced by powerhouse pharmaceutical companies to manipulate the market and make gargantuan profits from vaccines. Meanwhile, the wave of social media accounts suggesting Covid-19 can be caught from eating bat soup is, well, just bats.

But with lives at stake, and information channels clotted with anxiety-inducing falsehoods and wildly inaccurate reports of ‘miracle cures’, could the conspiracy theories be as dangerous as the virus itself?

Conspiracy theories give people a sense of agency at a time when they lack control

Karen Douglas, a professor of social psychology at the University of Kent believes so. "Conspiracy theories become more prominent in times of crisis and this has a lot to do with uncertainty. People need explanations for significant events and when information from official channels is incomplete, inconsistent, or continually unfolding – as is the case with coronavirus – we often look for quicker, simpler explanations," she says.

"But rather than decreasing uncertainty, research suggests that conspiracy theories actually increase it. The same goes for feelings of powerlessness and disillusionment. People might look to [fake news] to try to gain a sense of power and trust, but instead they feel worse because it feeds into their fear."

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It’s a view Viren Swami, an expert in the psychology of conspiracy theories and a professor at Anglia Ruskin University echoes. "At the moment, information on the virus is evolving on a daily, almost hourly basis. Conspiracy theories give people a sense of agency at a time when they lack control. So, if I’m at home self-isolating and I’m anxious and fearful and disconnected from the wider world, a conspiracy theory can help to personify the problem.

"Suddenly, I have someone to blame, whether it be a Chinese laboratory worker or the American government. The problem with this is that instead of feeling anxious, I now have permission to act; to do something. And that can led to anything from a spike in xenophobia to people believing absurd and potentially very dangerous false medical advice."

Already the outbreak has resulted in a global upsurge of racial discrimination and hate crimes targeted at East Asian communities. Messaging groups have become echo chambers of coronavirus-induced paranoia, with one rumour that countries would stop exporting toilet paper (not true) fuelling supermarket stockpiling. Followers of the pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory have even reportedly been promoting a substance dubbed ‘miracle mineral solution’. This ‘cure’ is falsely alleged to help treat everything from autism and cancer to Covid-19 – and contains bleach.

Suddenly, I have someone to blame, whether it be a Chinese laboratory worker or the American government

"Conspiracy theories can definitely be detrimental to your personal health, both mentally and physically," professor Douglas explains. "But they can erode the health of society too. They foster distrust in experts, science and the government and, invariably, people turn to unofficial sources for information instead."

In an age of extreme connectivity, that’s a serious problem. Thanks to social media, the dissemination of fake news has never been easier, more effective, or indeed more profitable – with hackers setting up coronavirus-related sites designed to digitally trap the misinformed and steal their personal data. The fact that President Donald Trump is, according to experts, among one of the most prominent pedlars of misinformation on Twitter doesn’t exactly help.

However, leading online platforms, including Facebook, Google and Twitter are now using algorithms to reduce conspiracy-driven material, and are working closely with the World Health Organisation and government officials to ensure accurate information is widely circulated.

Yet clearly more work needs to be done to quash harmful rhetoric. "There needs to be political will to challenge conspiracy theories more aggressively. It’s critical that misinformation online is tackled by official sources, particularly because self-isolation means more and more of us will become reliant on digitally dispensed advice as the pandemic wears on," adds professor Swami. "It can be tricky to rebuke fake news shared by friends, family and loved ones, but we all have a responsibility to plug gaps of knowledge with reputable information."

Conspiracy theories are detrimental to your personal health, both mentally and physically

So what’s the best way forward, especially for those of us who are being negatively impacted by the daily deluge of fringe theories and polarising opinion?

"Be vigilant and analytical," says professor Douglas. "Verify whether the information that you’re receiving is true or misleading via respected channels and news sources, such as the NHS or government websites. The World Health Organisation has also launched a Mythbusters page to help dispel some of the more prevalent mistruths and reduce anxiety."

And scrutinise everything before you share it. "Analyse the possible effects this information might have on someone, and remember that people are more likely to make risky health decisions if they believe in fake news," she adds.

Conspiracy theories, of course, aren’t new and have historically infected public discourse during times of crisis. Fear, if you like, always arrives before the infection. But in our post-truth era of hyper connectivity, the fight to stay reliably informed must go hand in hand with our fight to stay safe.

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