Renee Hobbs invites media literacy educators to explore the topic of conspiracy theories with adolescents in an address to the Media Meets Literacy in Sarajevo conference, September 22. Also read: http://bit.ly/2fnyEFH

1. Can learning about
conspiracy theories
advance the media
literacy competencies of
adolescents?

3. LOVE HATE
CONSPIRACY THEORIES
We love them and we hate them
Chemtrails Flouride
Mary Magdalene Illuminati
CIA Experiments Reptilian Elite
Elvis Ebola
Vaccines Global Warming

4. www.mindovermedia.tv

5. 7% of Americans believe the moon landings
were faked

6. 15% believe that the media
or government adds mind
control technology to TV
broadcast signals

8. 42% of Republicans and 14%
of Democrats believe that
President Obama was not
born in the United States
--Economist survey, December 2016

9. Conspiracy theory: a type of belief in which the
ultimate cause of an event is believed to be due
to a plot by multiple actors working together
with a clear goal in mind, often unlawfully and
in secret

10. TERMS FOR UNDERSTANDING CONSPIRACY THEORIES
disillusionment
anxiety
hoax
paranoia
ambiguity
open-mindedness
closure
cynicism

12. Government
commission concludes:
Peace is not in the
interest of a stable
society.
Even if lasting peace
"could be achieved, it
would almost certainly
not be in the best
interests of society to
achieve it.”

13. Becomes a best selling
book, translated into 15
languages
1972: Leonard Lewin
admits he is the author
& explains its purpose
as dark political satire

14. 1990:
Liberty Lobby publishes
the report as a public
domain document
Right-wing websites re-
distribute it online

15. Conspiracy Theories are Resilient

17. THINKING FAST AND SLOW
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking Fast and Slow. NY: Farrar Straus & Giroux
SYSTEM 1
SYSTEM 2
intuitive
emotional
immediate
creative
logical
linear
analytical
detail-oriented

18. Familiarity
Equals Believability
THE POWER OF A SINGLE EXPOSURE
Participants who were exposed to a conspiracy video were
significantly less likely to :
• think that there is widespread scientific agreement on
human-caused climate change
• sign a petition to help reduce global warming
• donate or volunteer for a charity in the next six months.
--Daniel Jolley and Karen Douglas, 2013

19. Critical Thinking Diminishes the
Power of Conspiracy Theories
Swami, V. et al. (2013). Analytical thinking reduces belief in conspiracy theories.
Cognition 133(3), 572 – 585.

20. Media literacy educators can
explore conspiracy theories to strengthen
critical thinking skills

21. Screening conspiracy theory videos in the
classroom risks validating them
 There may not be enough time in class to
examine evidence in depth
 There’s too much junk information online
on these topics
 It’s too easy to trivialize conspiracy
theories, reinforcing “us” and “them”
thinking

24. Video Annotation is a Powerful Tool for Critically
Analyzing Conspiracy Theories
www.ant.umn.edu

25. Media Literacy: A Pedagogy of Inquiry
“The thing is, Google
search isn’t neutral. Like
any other set of complex
algorithms, search is shot
through with the values
of its creators.”
Wohlsen, 2016

26. Should you discuss
conspiracy theories
in the classroom?
Why or why not?
TIME TO REFLECT

27. re
Conspiracy theories are alarm systems
that help people deal with threat. They
resonate most among groups suffering
from loss, weakness, or disunity.
--Uscinski & Parent, 2014
Responding Critically & Sympathetically

28. Conspiracy theories are resilient: they cannot be easily
disproved
They resonate in an age of anxiety by offering simple
explanations for complex and ambiguous realities
Although even brief exposures to conspiracy theories
increases their believability, analytical thinking can lower
belief in conspiracy theories
Video annotation tools “slow down” people’s response to
video and promotes analytic & reflective thinking
Teachers must wrestle with important paradoxes when
deciding whether, when & how to teach about conspiracy
theories

29. Renee Hobbs
Professor of Communication Studies
Director, Media Education Lab
University of Rhode Island USA
Twitter: @reneehobbs
SEPT/OCT 2017
Knowledge Quest
A publication of the American Association for
School Librarians (AASL)
www.mediaeducationlab.com