READER LETTER | Conspiracies can wreak havoc

The terrorist attack in Moscow and the Baltimore shipping incident in the US have resulted in a tsunami of conspiracy theories enveloping the world. From the bizarre to the mundane, from the outlandish to the plausible.

People gravitate towards conspiracy theories that affirm or validate their political view. The scope and massive widespread distribution of information on the Moscow attack blurs its origins in a world enveloped in deception, disinformation, misinformation and strategic concealment.

Conspiracy theories reinforce a belief that nothing in the world happens through coincidence. This refusal to recognise the role of chance leads many to develop a global view in which sinister andtop-secret conspiracies permeate all layers of society.

Deluged with massive mountains of information, it’s easy to become uncertain about what is true and what is false. Once you are inside a conspiracy rat hole, it’s difficult to come out. Conspiracy theories, both powerful and enduring, and some that are distinctly possible, can wreak havoc on society.

The problem with condemning conspiracy theories is that it plays into the theorists' mind. It is a proven historical fact that conspiracy theories thrive in polarising political climates, they do not emerge in a vacuum. The current political crisis and chaos in the US is a classical example.

Any outlandish conspiracy and it’s toxic twin, fake news, are challenging society’s trust in facts. These contagions pose a profound threat to many democracies by damaging their bedrock: a shared commitment to truth.

Sadly, what we are witnessing is a form of social media warfare, where conspiracy theories spread faster than a pandemic. Many governments have resorted to conspiracy theories to distract from their own failures to pre-empt criticism. In an era of sonic communications, we are vulnerable to manipulation.

Farouk Araie, Benoni