Renee Hobbs joins with students and faculty of the Maria Ward Schule in Mainz to explore and analyze conspiracy theories.

1. Renee Hobbs
Professor of Communication Studies
Director, Media Education Lab
University of Rhode Island USA
Twitter: @reneehobbs
A Workshop:
Critically Analyzing Conspiracy Theories
Maria-Ward-Schule
Mainz, GERMANY
November 20, 2017

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

3. www.mindovermedia.tv

5. LOVE HATE
CONSPIRACY THEORIES
We love them and we hate them
JFK Birther
Chemtrails Flouride
Mary Magdalene Illuminati
CIA Experiments Tuskegee
Elvis Ebola
Vaccines Global Warming
Which Ones Are You Familiar With?

6. 7% of Americans believe the moon landings
were faked

7. 15% believe that the media
or government adds mind
control technology to TV
broadcast signals

9. 42% of Republicans and 14%
of Democrats believe that
President Obama was not
born in the United States
--Economist survey, December 2016

10. 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

11. Conspiracy Theories as Propaganda
https://flipgrid.com/7e010f

12. Time for Reflection
• What did you
learn?
• What do you
want to learn
more about?
• What questions
do you have?

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

15. 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.”

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

17. 1990:
Liberty Lobby publishes
the report as a public
domain document
Right-wing websites re-
distribute it online

18. Conspiracy Theories are Resilient

20. 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

21. Media Literacy: A Pedagogy of Inquiry

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

25. 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.

26. 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

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

28.  Understand differences in the quality of information
sources
 Distinguish between anecdote and authoritative evidence
 Recognize how disinformation and propaganda uses
mystery to capture our imagination
 Apply critical questions to analyze YouTube video
 Appreciate the importance of source verification of online
information
 Participate in online dialogue by composing responses that
demonstrate independent thinking and respect for others’
views

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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