Online conspiracy theories can be both interesting but nonsense. I would look at YouTube videos about a celebrity who’s planning to get married to another celebrity and I could tell that it lacks viewers, likes, and comments. Sometimes there would be a few comments hating and saying that it’s all just made up, and to confirm that it’s fake, I would search up “Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello marriage” and it turns out that there was no result of that. Sometimes the disinformation can cause harm, not just to the viewers but also to the targeted person. Sometimes it could ruin their reputation by making them look bad in certain ways, it can also affect their self esteem or any other mental health problems. The main problem can be the confirmation bias, where people will choose to believe in one side of something while ignoring the other side. That could also ruin someone’s reputation without knowing their reasons.
Online conspiracy theories can be both extremely intriguing and harmful simultaneously. Viewers, myself included, should be able to know the differences between misinformation and malinformation on the internet and social media like YouTube. However, there should be regulations on conspiracy theories that go too far over the top. Deleting all these videos is harder said than done, as Nicole Daniel’s argues that “YouTube faces an onslaught of misinformation and unsavory content uploaded daily” making it extremely difficult for them to erase these posts. This all goes to show the new dangerous forms of entertainment spreading across our world today.
Conspiracy theories are prevalent across various social platforms on the internet. This challenges the notion that conspiracy theories must be extreme or outlandish beliefs, suggesting that they can originate from everyday sources. Any information with the potential to pose a threat is encompassed within this broad category, presenting significant risks. The New York Times reports that even the FBI considers the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat (Nicas). The fact that the FBI recognizes this as a danger underlines the importance for platforms to actively work towards minimizing the impact of such content and exposing the risk of harm ti the users.
I believe online conspiracy theories can be dangerous. Conspiracy theories can cause conflict within society and can create problems politically. In addition, it can misinform people on current events and create a divide between society. Jack Nicas emphasizes that YouTube’s “site’s recommendations have systematically amplified divisive, sensationalist and clearly false videos” (Daniels). YouTube publishing false videos spreads harmful information, and can inspire negative ideas within people.
I believe that conspiracy theories can be both entertaining and dangerous. As far as thing being accurate online I think most of us know the reliability of different platforms we view daily, however I think large platforms that provide media for all ages should attempt to verify some truth to a certain extent. As platforms like YouTube have started attempting to “limit the spread of videos ‘that could misinform users in harmful ways’,” we have still seen little to no improvement(Daniels). I think it is important for these platform’s to attempt to block some of these conspiracy theories, but it can be extremely hard to make that system perfected. With that being said it is important for media users to still be aware of the misinformation that could be spread and attempt to fact check things that we are unsure of. As YouTube continues their attempt to stop conspiracy theory’s it’s important other platforms do as well.
When looking at online conspiracy theories, the topic of whether it’s becoming a dangerous to society or not has came up multiple times. While conspiracy theories do show creative mindsets, it can also create harmful environments. These environments have shifted to social media, with conspiracy theories reaching sites like YouTube and Google. This can become dangerous, with younger generations being vulnerable to finding these conspiracy theories with the amount of internet access they have today. When readying the article, “researchers found that YouTube has nearly eradicated some conspiracy theories from its recommendations, including claims that the earth is flat and that the U.S. government carried out the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, two falsehoods the company identified as targets last year” (Berkeley researchers).
Although I don't watch that much of Youtube any more, a couple years ago I spent most of my free time watching all the different types of videos that came up on my feed. There was probably a short period of time where I watched all of the conspiracy theory videos. At the time I was young and believed most of what I saw, but now I understand what is fake and just search for views. Although I don’t believe in most of these conspiracies, I like to have some fun with them. My route to determine whether a conspiracy is true or not in a similar way Youtube does. Youtube questions then “decide[s] which types of misinformation it wants to root out and which types it is willing to allow” (Nicole Daniels). Some information I don't mind knowing is false but still joking around with it and enjoying to humor behind it.
Online conspiracy theories are topics that are questioned with many people about its accuracy claims. Conspiracy theories are also about the idea that you may fantasize about a topic. In many ways it’s great to be creative but many times they’re not actually effective or credible. New York Times acknowledges YouTube and the way it “faces an onslaught of misinformation and unsavory content [that’s] uploaded daily” (Nicas). It’s interesting to learn how YouTube is correlated to conspiracy theories. Influencer advocate or post videos online for the sake of their own benefit and platform instead of showing accurate information that is provable. When looking at online conspiracy theories I would stay aware that many or almost all of the information isn’t credible and solely just for views and publicity purposes.
When taking a look at how online conspiracy theories can be dangerous, we have to look at what builds online conspiracy theories to become so dangerous. As we look towards how we get our information and how we take that information, these questions can help “fuel the flame” to issues that are rising. Also how we see the information is a critical aspect that can cause theories and rumors to spread which can make the decision of online information become dangerous to believe. From the New York Times, Nicole Daniel talks about how conspiracy theories behind YouTube are a good example of getting misinformation. The YouTube “…company recommendations aimed” towards the audience to feel “…them[selves] satisfied…” (Daniel) as the article is strongly written for us to read about. The connection between knowing what the right information is and how easily it can spread is a problem in today's society because as soon as the information is posted, it’ll spread like wildfire. I believe that theories can be very dangerous to a society where other opinions matter and it can create more conflict rather than becoming a debate to talk about. Overall, online theories are dangerous if we don’t know what information is being said, plus how it can be broadcasted can create a problem. A way we can stop this problem is to educate people about theories and about information that is real versus fake, we can help those theories and opinions not become too dangerous.
Conspiracy theories surface nearly every social platform on the internet. A conspiracy theory in YouTube’s words is anything that could “misinform users in harmful ways.” This debunks the thought that a conspiracy theory has to be an outlandish or an extreme belief that one may have. Instead, it may be sources we interact with every day. Any sort of information that may pose a threat falls into the broad category. This can be incredibly harmful. Even when it comes to the FBI, the New York Times reports that the bureau considers “the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat” (Nicas). If it’s dangerous enough for the FBI, it’s a given that YouTube and apps just like it do the most to reduce their impact.
When thinking about online conspiracies, the first thought that comes to mind isn’t harmful, but rather interesting. On one hand like we saw with the “birds aren’t real” some are just meant for comedic Al purposes and are satire. Posing no harm towards people. Then another point of view regarding conspiracies I have is a complete opposite spectrum and that is actual valid conspiracies that have interesting stories within them and are backup up by evidence that one can believe to be true or to not be true. Which I think has some beauty in it and is pretty cool. Then lastly, which is sadly the case oftentimes, most conspiracy theories have a harmful intent going after one person or an organization. Sometimes being set up to damage and deteriorate, and with a platform like YouTube can be easily popularized, when regarding the popularity of YouTube, the New York Times says, “ one place on the internet where conspiracy theories have racked up millions of views” that place being “YouTube”. In the end I think it is important for you the to attempt and monitor and try to control harmful conspiracies to people who are innocent, but keep up those that propose valid points or are funny.
When referring to the question of whether or not conspiracy theories are dangerous, I think they really do have the potential to be. While some are meant for the fun and good laughs, others have the power to spread harmful information. One of the largest platforms that falls victim to the creation of harmful conspiracy theories is YouTube. With hundreds of people posting a day, all types of videos are created and posted. The good and bad. For example, the article reports that “research has shown that the site’s recommendations have systematically amplified divisive, sensationalist and clearly false videos, (Daniels). These are the types of videos that create conflicts between people and can change the way they treat each other and view the larger issues in the world.
Conspiracy theories online can be dangerous when you're young and gullible. Children are more exposed to online platforms such as YouTube and Instagram due to technology being a part of our daily lives. There are some instances where an online influence can make someone do crazy things detrimental to their livelihood. Though it may not have much of an impact on those who are aware of misinformation, it still poses a threat. YouTube cares about money more than the impact of misinformation on little kids. Considering the spread of misinformation, the New York Times acknowledges the fact that the F.B.I. "recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat" (Daniels). Other than conspiracy theories, the internet has many dangers regarding children. Predators can hide and manipulate young minds. There is no doubt that conspiracy theories can pose a danger as well.
Online conspiracy theories can be dangerous in today's world. Conspiracy theories cause danger to the public due to the fact that they can spread like wildfire across different media platforms. This spread of false information can harm and mislead people. Social media has algorithms with a goal to increase the amount of viewers their site gets with the goal of making money. As reported in the article “YouTube’s powerful recommendation algorithm, which pushes its two billion monthly users to videos it thinks they will watch”(Daniels). Another danger that comes with online conspiracies is that it can cause mass hysteria and panic among the general public, this can lead to protests, boycotts, and other forms of violence. Adding to the danger is that viewers on social media sites like YouTube and TikTok do not typically research what they hear when scrolling through videos. Therefore are likely to believe whatever misinformation they hear.
Conspiracy theories can be dangerous as they contribute to the spread of misinformation and confusion. Many people who are uneducated automatically believe any conspiracy theories they come across leading to fruitless arguments. As this problem persists, YouTube counters, “eradicating conspiracy theories from its recommendations”(Daniels). While social media platforms are doing their best to delete this fake news off the Internet, there is too much out there. This is going to result in our society as a whole being a lot less educated with incorrect information backed up with fake evidence. If this continues it can lead to all sorts of problems in our economy, safety and everyday lives.
Conspiracy theories have a definite potential to become dangerous, especially those with large following. Many people are able to sort real facts from fake information, but others however can be led to believe in whatever they hear. It’s extremely easy to get people to believe something that seems fairly credible, like YouTube videos. Users of this platform might be led to believe that YouTube filters their videos, or only allows engaging helpful content to be released. Therefore, when videos of harmful content, like conspiracy theories are uploaded, people don’t question them. However, YouTube has claimed that they have been doing their best to filter their content to limit these dangerous subjects. YouTube spokesman Farshad Shadloo insists that they have tried to “reduce recommendations of borderline content and harmful misinformation, including climate change misinformation and other types of conspiracy videos” (Nicas). Many sites like this are doing their best to make their publications more accurate and helpful. This is helping to combat negative conspiracies.
I acknowledge the potential dangers some conspiracy theories can have but it depends on the context and circumstances. Me personally I like to poke fun at some theories and don’t take them too seriously as they are theories and most like are not true. I think the main threat is when people get manipulated to believe these and it becomes widespread. “The F.B.I. recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat.” (Shadloo)
I personally believe that conspiracy theories are dangerous. The article claims that conspiracy theories can indeed be dangerous, as evidenced by the FBI identifying the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat. It emphasizes the role of platforms like YouTube in amplifying such theories, with the company’s recommendations driving over 70 percent of the daily hours spent watching videos. These platforms’ algorithms have been shown to systematically promote divisive and false content, raising concerns about their societal impact. While some may find conspiracy theories entertaining or intriguing, their potential consequences are significant, especially when they influence public opinion or incite harmful actions. It underscores the importance of both platform accountability and individual discernment in addressing the dangers posed by conspiracy theories.
I believe online conspiracy theories are not dangerous as they help people enhance their communication, problem-solving, and listening skills. These theories go beyond creating possibilities that go against the truth, they help individuals in better understanding topics and events, creating interest and shock at the potential outcomes. Moreover, they can bring together curious minds that enjoy thinking outside the box. However, it's crucial to know that not all online conspiracy theories promote positive outcomes. Some can lead to distrust, misinformation, and separation within the community. Allowing a balance between curiosity and careful examination is essential to ensure that discussions remain safe and enjoyable, rather than contributing to the spread of false lies, misinformation, hate, and, worst of all, danger. Finally this same issue of danger, currently casts a shadow “ for tech companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter.” compelling them to change their ways so that the world stays out of harms way.
I believe that conspiracy theories have been, and will continue to be dangerous based on what they are on, and people they target. Regarding the social and national impacts of this misinformation, Jack Nicas reveals that, “the F.B.I. recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat,” because of the tactical danger it poses in our society today (Daniels). I think these conspiracy theories, and videos on them are not the problem, but rather the way they are consumed and viewed. Many people take what is being said, and immediately believe some of the ridiculous conspiracies that float around social media today. In a way, it’s what is being put out that should be monitored, but the consumers of this information need to be more aware of its presence.
Because conspiracy theories have a tendency to propagate false information and distort the truth, they can be hazardous because they cause people to make poor decisions. Youtube states "The data also showed that other falsehoods continued to flourish in YouTube’s recommendations,"(Daniels). Furthermore, they frequently foster mistrust and division within society, undermining social cohesiveness and escalating polarization. Conspiracy theories have the potential to erode confidence in authorities and institutions, which in turn threatens the basis of democracy and government. Belief in these notions can occasionally lead people to do hazardous things, such avoiding immunizations or acting in an extreme way. Moreover, they deflect focus from actual problems, impeding attempts to deal with urgent societal crises.
I believe that conspiracy theories are dangerous. In the article, Nicole Daniels reported, “The stakes are high. YouTube faces an onslaught of misinformation and unsavory content uploaded daily. The F.B.I. recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat.” I think we mostly consume and build our values through the internet these days because we believe in things that we hear or watch in the news, on social media, etc. But the information we believe in could be false or misinformation, which is bad for our personalities and community. Misinformation can lead to a change in human perception. For example, listening to misinformed news about some religious group attack This can create hate towards that religious group.
As conspiracy theories grow in popularity, my concern for how many people trust them increases. Since it is very likely that a conspiracy is satire or complete misinformation, it is a little nerve-racking to think lots of people easily believe these ideas. I’m not concerned that the conspiracy theories themselves really have any threat, but I am worried for those who easily believe these accusations when they have access to them, as the article reported that “falsehoods continued to flourish in YouTube’s recommendations” (Nicas).
Online conspiracy theories that can show up on any social media platform can be serious and dangerous to a certain extent. Some may turn to conspiracy theories to have a laugh or poke fun at the lunacy that some people believe in such as the satirical Birds Aren’t Real movement, while others may take it seriously and suggest that it’s dangerous in the context that it spreads misinformation. Although YouTube asserts to “limit the spread of these videos that could misinform users in harmful ways”, YouTube has not stayed true as it “continues to advance certain types of fabrications” (Nicas). I believe that YouTube holds some responsibility to make sure the videos its users are publishing are intended for uses other than to spread conspiracies, but YouTube’s ultimate goal is to gain profit by creating a recommendations algorithm that can “capture people’s attention in order to show them more ads…”(Nicas). Also, I feel as though it’s the responsibility of the viewers to verify the accuracy of the claims and not believe everything they read or watch online right away; instead, they should do some research before coming to the consensus whether something is true or false.
I acknowledge that YouTube has “an onslaught of misinformation and unsavory content uploaded daily,” plus the platform should be punished for their arrogance (Nicas). However, in the end I believe it’s the viewers job to react appropriately to the information. Not everything you see on the internet will be true, but not all will be false. I believe it is the viewers duty to take it with a grain of salt. We’ve all been exposed to conspiracies in our lives, for me it was YouTube and video game conspiracies with MatPat. Of course they were just video game theories and ideas, but still I didn’t take them word for word. In the end I believe it’s the parent’s job to teach kids the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, and especially what is fake and real. I think it’s important to learn the values of perspectives, and build our sense of the world. Everyone has different view points and everyone has different beliefs, no different from conspiracies.
While when I hear conspiracy theories my mind doesn't run to the word danger, I find myself more intrigued. Intrigued with what people are saying this time, what's the new wonder? While YouTube is very popular in my generation there are often many content creators who focus their channel around the conspiracy theories, drawing viewers in with the crazy titles and clickbait. Often leading to a huge spread of misinformation with viewers who believe the content without deepening their understanding of what's being told. It’s nice to see that YouTubes “decided which types of misinformation it wants to root out and which types it will allow” (Daniels), taking action against the spread of the misinformation. I don’t think that the videos on conspiracies are the problem itself, but how they’re consumed. I find myself drawn to them because I’m curious what people are wondering about now, and how they even got to some of the outlandish conspiracies. Some people consume what's being said without a second thought, often reading deeply into them. That's where I would start to consider them being dangerous.
I think online conspiracy theories can be dangerous in some circumstances but typically have no threat. Most of the time when I see some type of conspiracy theory it just makes me wonder about the crazy idea or question it a bit. For example the article acknowledges the conspiracy theory about how “aliens created the pyramids” (Daniels). This demonstrates a conspiracy theory that is not dangerous and is more funny in my opinion. However, someone could take a conspiracy too far and fully believe it to which at that point it could become dangerous. Most of the conspiracy theories we see on the internet are very similar to things like aliens creating the pyramids but I wouldn’t consider them to be dangerous.
Conspiracy theories spreading around the internet can be dangerous for many reasons. The influence of the internet is very evident, especially when it comes to younger people using social media. Conspiracies and the spread of false information can be harmless depending on the topic, but it can also create something hateful and potentially dangerous. Nicole Daniel’s argues that the internet faces “an onslaught of misinformation and unsavory content” on a daily basis. I believe this information spreading without reliable sources can still easily be trusted, as many individuals on the internet do not look further into sources and believe whatever is put on the media. Conspiracy theories can create lots of separation and hate between groups of people, arguments, and fear, which is unacceptable and creates unnecessary negativity online. I believe that overall, conspiracies can be dangerous, not only because they are lies and misinformation, but because they can control people to act and speak to others in a different manner.
Online conspiracy theories pose a significant threat as they often spread rapidly through social media, contributing to the dissemination of misinformation and fostering distrust in society. Researchers argue that this trend highlights a concerning pattern where platforms like YouTube selectively address certain types of misinformation while permitting others to persist (Daniel’s). The impact of such unchecked narratives can extend beyond individual beliefs, influencing public perception and even shaping social discourse. In essence, the potential danger lies not only in the existence of these theories but also in the platforms' role in either combating or perpetuating them.
Conspiracy theories online can range from being good and bad for us, a statement that applies to most things found online. YouTube is very popular for my generation is it nice to see them taking regulatory action on content recommendations in this regard. More importantly, I think whether or not conspiracy theories are harmful depends on how you approach media consumption online. The New York Times verifies that various theories are widely accessible on YouTube including “…aliens creat[ing] the pyramids, the government is hiding secret technologies…” (Daniels). I am a firm believer in the “don’t believe everything you see online”. With that said, I find conspiracy theories to be fascinating to think about but often I do not read far into them. However, that is just me. Someone else could totally read more into conspiracy theories and take them too seriously. That is, to me the point where they can be dangerous.
I believe that conspiracy theories can potentially be dangerous in our society, but it completely depends on the people that are listening to the information. There are over thousands of videos on YouTube and TikTok about theories, and even ones with over 50 million views on a singular video. Even with “YouTube eradicating conspiracy theories from its recommendations”(Daniels), I do think there will be people that take everything literal and even if conspiracy theories weren’t publicly posted, they would still make their own to believe. However on the other hand, many people listen and watch different videos on theories, myself included. It provides lots of entertainment and
I definitely believe to some extent that online conspiracy theories can be dangerous. Especially throughout last decade, there have been plenty of examples exposing an uneducated future generation due to exposure to misinformation — people see something and instantly believe it with zero thought of validity or correctness. A common example mentioned in this article is YouTube which I am certain can contribute to conspiracy theories. Misinformation and clickbait can draw more attention to content creator’s channels, increasing their revenue, bringing in thousands of clueless fans to support their nonsense. Recommendations on YouTube popping up on one’s screen are determined by popularity and the amount of clicks it gets, so when a video is carried with such incorrect drama that it draws attention to viewers, it’s more like to spread: “Research has shown that the site’s recommendations have systematically amplified divisive, sensationalist and clearly false videos” (Daniels). With this being said, online conspiracy theories can rapidly become dangerous if today's society fails to emphasize the impact misinformation can have on one’s opinion and how it can spread.
I think that there are great chances for online conspiracy theories to pose a threat or be dangerous. The media has the power to spread news and information very quickly. Sites with great popularity like YouTube, have the ability to provide misinformation, even if they say they try limiting it. YouTubes platform is followed by many people as it is one of the more popular sources of media in our generation. The NYT article emphasizes their idea that the researchers argue those findings suggest that YouTube has decided which types of misinformation it wants to root out and which types it is willing to allow (Daniels). Overall, the media and its endeavors can have detrimental effects if the content including misinformation continues to grow and is unable to be correctly censored or falsified.
I think conspiracy theories can be dangerous to our society because of the already huge problem of misinformation. The more conspiracy theories that are spread, the more it encourages misinformation. This can be a negatively affect our society because no one will know what to believe and everyone will just disagree on everything. A lot of people don’t know how to have a peaceful disagreement with someone else, so this creates lots of conflict.
I believe that online conspiracy theories can be dangerous in some ways. Spreading misinformation through social media and websites can cause confusion throughout many people. The New York Times emphasizes “YouTube faces an onslaught of misinformation and unsavory content uploaded daily” (Nicas). Many of YouTube’s successful videos are in fact scripted and not real, this shows how easy it is for false information to be spread throughout the internet. People see a video that went viral but they don’t do their research to see whether it is true or not. Some YouTube videos could show hacks or show dangerous content. People see these things and believe they can do them too, which can lead to getting hurt or even death. All though these videos are successes and it’s uploaded on one of the biggest platforms in the world, “YouTubes success has come with a dark side”, which shows not everything posted should be believed (Nicas). It’s important to stay away from online misinformation and conspiracy theorists to avoid the dangers of the internet.
Online conspiracies can be very dangerous. Due to the amount of people that are on the internet, it’s so easy for misinformation to spread quickly. Since they care more about the attention being caught by people, they claim that youtube normally tries“… to steer people towards authoritative videos that leave them satisfied” (Daniel). This is very dangerous since people are very gullible and this can eventually lead to an outbreak of misinterpreted information. This eventually ruins reputations and produce even bigger conflicts within certain topics and could drive some people crazy especially with the society we live in. Don’t believe everything you see on the internet.
I believe that conspiracy theories can be dangerous in present society. Currently, society’s ability to quickly consume information without checking the validity of said information leads dangerous and malicious ideas to be believed by masses. The article reports that after YouTube’s success on blocking conspiracy theories on recommendations by fifty percent, “its recommendations of conspiracy theories jumped back up and fluctuated over the next several months,” showing that conspiracy theories are not going anywhere anytime soon, stressing the importance of verifying claims and to not believe everything you see on the internet, no matter how interesting or unique (Daniels).
I believe that conspiracy theories can potentially be dangerous to the society we live in. With the culture we are surrounded by, information of all sorts spreads quickly, whether that be satire or not. The article questions the usage of social media platforms further misinforming people, and claims that “YouTube has nearly eradicated some conspiracy theories from its recommendations”(Daniels). YouTube tends to be very popular among the younger audience, which can be detrimental to the young minds of society. With this, the spreading of conspiracy theories can be pernicious to people in society, and staying away from them may be beneficial.
Regarding conspiracy theories being dangerous, the New York Times emphasizes how many platforms have limited the amounts of conspiracy theories displayed to the media. However, YouTube “recommendations of conspiracy theories jumped back up and then fluctuated over the next several months” (Daniels). Because of this, many people are introduced to conspiracy theories that can be potentially frightening and dangerous. With media sources not taking into consideration the different people who are watching these videos, the display of conspiracy theories is dangerous and if it doesn’t come to an end it will continue to become more of a problem.
Regarding the argument of whether or not conspiracy theories can be dangerous, Daniels reports that Youtube has been attempting to “limit the spread of videos ‘that could misinform users in harmful ways’”, however, this demonstrates that “YouTube has decided which types of misinformation it wants to root out and which types it is willing to allow” (Daniels). Although this is a clear attempt to decrease misinformation from being spread, there may be a bias and ulterior motive behind these actions. YouTube may be dismissing some ideas while still allowing other content as long as it’s within their jurisdiction which is up for judge.
I believe that conspiracy theories are very dangerous in society and can be scary. Conspiracy theories have covered multiple social platforms and have now lead to bigger problems involving security of the country. The YouTube spokesman emphasizes “The F.B.I. recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat” (Shadloo). I personally think that in the time we live in the last thing we need is more security issues causing people to feel unsafe. Not all conspiracy theories are dangerous but there is a line that many cross when controversial topics get brought to the table and the safe of others is jeopardized.
Conspiracy theories are by definition “a belief that some secret influential organization is responsible for an event or phenomenon.” By this, Daniels reminds us of the significance of finding credibility in our endeavors. YouTube along with other social platforms support and produce misinformation and can cause a skewed perspective to developing minds. Daniels’ further “research has shown that the site’s recommendations have systematically amplified divisive, sensationalist and clearly false videos” (Daniels). We live in a world with constant discourse and conversation, with the spread of misinformation to just one person, more are prone to be misinformed.
I definitely think conspiracy theories can be very dangerous, especially when they're not clearly false, or can be misinterpreted. The main problem I take away from reading this article is how Youtube said it had taken down and eradicated some conspiracy theories from its platform entirely, but then after just a few months those conspiracy theories popped right back up. A computer science professor at University of California, Berkeley, and co-author of the study, Hany Farid, reports “it is a technological problem, but it is really at the end of the day also a policy problem,” if the policy gets fixed, the problem gets closer to getting fixed (Daniels).
I believe that conspiracy theories can be dangerous and could spread misinformation. Misinformation can spread easily and could destroy reputations and potentially create bigger uncontrollable issues. The YouTube Spokesman emphasizes that conspiracy theories can “harmful misinformation, including climate change misinformation and other types of conspiracy videos” (Shadloo). I agree with this statement and even though some conspiracy theories can be harmless, some of them can inflict harm onto someone. Especially if the theory isn’t true at all. Even though some conspiracy theories are interesting and not harmful, some theories, especially on controversial topics, can cause issues.
I believe that conspiracy theories can be very dangerous for some issues. An example when talking about the dangers of conspiracy theories, is that a YouTube spokesman acknowledged that there is “harmful misinformation, including climate change misinformation and other types of conspiracy videos” (Shadloo). I definitely think that conspiracy theories can spread disinformation on topics that are very serious and require minimal misinformation to be spread about them. Conspiracy theories are usually just harmless opinions that people have, but they tend to get on the dangerous side when talking about issues such as climate change or politics
I believe that conspiracy theories can be dangerous, and YouTube should limit how often these conspiracy theories should come up in recommended videos, but slight tweaks to an algorithm will not change how often these videos are viewed. In the study described in this article, the researchers detailed how when YouTube “nearly eradicated some conspiracy theories from its recommendations,” the problem did not go away, when “[YouTube’s] recommendations of conspiracy theories jumped back up and then fluctuated over the next several months.”
I believe conspiracy theories can be dangerous when they are taken too far, the issue is what defines that threshold and how can we guarantee that is it not passed. Conspiracy theories can often be enjoyable, laughing at a video that’s obviously incorrect, but it is concerning just how many users rely on watching these videos and their motives behind it. Nicas informs the public that after removing conspiracy theories from recommendations, “YouTube said the amount of time people spent watching such videos from its recommendations had dropped by 50 percent” (P6). This shows the fascination that many people have for these kinds of ideas. Taking out of hand and becoming an obsession is where this “hobby” can become dangerous. By convincing not only yourself but others of lies and inpending danger it can cause panic and mistrust in people. For example the Birds Aren’t Real slogan has made Americans distrust the CIA and believe they are working against us instead of for us. For these reasons I believe that once a conspiracy theory becomes a riot or a page in the news is when it has gone too far.
Online conspiracy theories can absolutely become dangerous. Misinformation is becoming such a big problem in the world as the internet and social media are such a big part of our generation. Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of people who can distinguish false information, and fact check a source to make sure it’s credible. People posting these conspiracy theories use social media platforms like instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube to get their theories out there. YouTube’s algorithm for giving its viewers content related to their interest is helping the theorists, as “the site’s recommendations have systematically amplified divisive, sensationalist and clearly false videos”(Daniels). Conspiracy theories are become more dangerous as their creators are using social media to brainwash the population into believing them.
Conspiracy theories are definitely dangerous and the ability to quickly share them online only fuels the flame. It is easier than ever for misinformation to be spread. Whether it’s a joke someone misinterpreted or the harmful spreading of lies online when anyone can post anything with just the click of a button conspiracy theories can grow faster than ever before. However we now have the power to try and stop the spread of conspiracy theories. YouTube stated that after a policy change on their website that recommends conspiracy theories less often “the amount of time people spent watching such videos from its recommendations had dropped by 50 percent” (Nicas). By actively working to stop conspiracy theories to grow through policy changes like these we can help prevent them from growing to dangerous levels.
I do believe that conspiracy theories can be dangerous but only when they become so widespread that they become propaganda, rather than conspiracies. I think conspiracy theories on the internet are inevitable and we cannot get rid of them, but they always have a potential to become dangerous when the misinformation seems very reliable, or there is a person of authority promoting them. On the other hand, I think conspiracy theories can be beneficial because lots of historical breakthroughs have been made by further investigating an idea that started as conspiracy theories, like life on Mars. On the other hand, conspiracies are detrimental, because “when factual claims are made, people tend to assume they're a conspiracy theory if they seem far-fetched”. Take climate change for example, there are still a very large number of people who think that climate change is not real and that it is a conspiracy theory, despite the information that has been presented.
I believe that online conspiracy theories can be dangerous. In the article Daniel’s refers to YouTube: “ The company has said its recommendations drive over 70 percent of the more than one billion hours people spend watching videos each day, making the software that picks the recommendations among the world’s most influential algorithms.” (Daniel’s) This is extremely important because of how much influence YouTube has over people’s world views and perspectives. If some type of conspiracy theory took off online and began to get pushed to young adults it could become extremely dangerous.
When it comes to conspiracy theories a lot of them can be harmless while others aim to provoke and harm. Conspiracy theories can present dangers to our society and ultimately lead to danger. The New York Times emphasizes “The spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat” (Nicas). The dangers and stakes are high when it comes to the information available on the internet. It is important to understand the information read and question its validity with others sources. Conspiracy theories can be fun but it is also important to realize when wrongful information is put out. It is up to the reader to go beyond and research to what extent something is truthful.
There is no doubt that conspiracy theories are all over the internet—but what exactly defines a conspiracy theory? For one, YouTube claims them to be videos “that could misinform users in harmful ways.” According to this definition, any potentially harmful misinformation could be considered a conspiracy theory, not just extreme ones. Therefore, it is likely that people watch and believe conspiracy theories all the time without even realizing it. Further, as technology advances (like AI), it is harder to distinguish fake images from real. With this new technology, conspiracy theorists can fabricate new evidence that people may end up believing. Overall, conspiracy theories can be harmful because people often believe them, especially considering the rise of artificial intelligence.
I think that conspiracy theories can become dangerous based on what they are and who they target. The spread on conspiracy theories can be a danger for young minds who are unaware of the reality of it. For example, YouTube. With plenty of videos that are just a click away, it’s very easy to come across all types of videos, both true and false. The New York Times reports that, “YouTube faces an onslaught of misinformation and unsavory content uploaded daily,” (Nicas). The spread of this misinformation can and will be detrimental to the news and society. Staying away from crazy conspiracy theories and false information will be beneficial for young minds and society.
I do believe that with all conspiracy theories there is a potential for them to be dangerous. They are considered theories for a reason, they are not based entirely on fact and truth but rather on speculation. The article reports “that [Youtube’s] recommendations have systemically amplified divisive, sensationalist and clearly false videos” most of which were built on the foundation of conspiracy theories which can be qualified as “false.” The spreading of conspiracy theories through YouTube and other platforms can be classified as spreading inaccurate information which can always become dangerous.
I do think that in certain situations it can be dangerous. As certain media sources can report false information that can sometimes be believable. These ones that could be real are the dangerous ones as ones that are too absurd aren't beliveable.
I think in a way online conspiracy’s can be dangerous because they can convince people to believe things that are far from the truth. That becomes dangerous because when people start questioning whether things are real or not, extreme ideas can emerge and the stability of the life people know can be risked. The New York Times emphasizes that even “the F.B.I. recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat” (Jack Nicas).
I believe that conspiracy theories are dangerous to readers, as they can contribute to the spread of misinformation to unknowing audiences, especially on sites such as YouTube. When considering the impacts of conspiracy theories on social media, Jack Nicas reveals, “the F.B.I. recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat” (Daniels). Because the government sees these types of misinformation tactics as a danger, and yet social media sites still promote it because of it’s eye-catching claims, it is evident that online conspiracy theories are a threat to readers because of their misleading assertions and uncontrollable spread.
Conspiracy theories can be dangerous if a viewer is uninformed on these theories and believes them. On YouTube, I have seen conspiracy theories recommended on my YouTube front page before, but generally the title of the video will say that it is a conspiracy theory. That’s also why I think it’s up to the users and creators on YouTube to highlight that the videos are just theories, instead of how in the article YouTube’s idea qualified as “limiting the spread of videos ‘that could misinform users in harmful ways’” as this takes away from the creative freedom of the creator. I think that a better solution would be to mark the videos as potential conspiracy theories when viewing it, but leaving it up to the user to decide whether or not they want to watch the video, rather than YouTube’s algorithm.
I believe that online conspiracy theories are only dangerous to those who aren't critical about their thinking. As NYTimes reports, YouTube has created policies that block as much harmful misinformation from getting to a consumer. I think that if you can find the ridiculousness in conspiracy theories and know how actions online can be harmful to others if taken out on them, then by all means look at YouTube videos about conspiracies and do research. I think the main problem is that it's online, it's easy to commit to a community when no one knows your face or actual name.
No, I do not believe online conspiracy theories are dangerous. Although some people believe online conspiracies are dangerous due to their ability to be shared and spread quickly, the internet has made it difficult for misinformation to be dangerous to us as we have so many ways of checking sources and reading other stories to prove the conspiracies to be false.
Online conspiracy theories are not dangerous as they are often taken down or fact checked by people on the internet, preventing any confusion. A positive feature about online conspiracies is that many people can collaborate and work together to fact check any conspiracy theories. Online conspiracy theories are not dangerous; rather, they help us learn more about fact checking what we are reading, especially if the information is completely out of hand.
We are so consumed by information on the internet and the idea of reading into one conspiracy and falling towards one story is rare on the internet as we often will see multiple sides to a story. Before the internet, fact checking a friend on his bigfoot conspiracy theory was much more difficult as we didn’t have a more accessible way to research (besides going to a library).
Online conspiracy theories are not dangerous to us as they don’t impact us in any physical way and we have too many ways to fact check them.
Conspiracy theories can be dangerous because they cause misinformation. Conspiracy theories are far-fetched and illogical explanations that people come up with to justify certain events. These theories can circulate quickly on the internet. While some conspiracy theories are clearly taken as jokes, others are not, which is when problems begin to occur.
Conspiracy theories can cause information to be readily available across the internet. Because it’s on the internet, many people believe it without fact-checking. The spread of this misinformation can damage the reputations of the people or companies it is referring to.
I believe that online conspiracy theories can indeed become dangerous. Conspiracy theories may just bring people further apart. So many people try to convince others that theories are true without logical evidence. This causes tension online and offline which can lead to dangerous situations. People are wasting time going back and forth arguing whether, for example, the Earth is flat, when there is scientific evidence that it's not. It’s dangerous how seemingly believable conspiracy theorists can make something. But it is also dangerous how easily people believe something without attaching any credibility to it.
For example, for our homework assignment last night, we were asked to observe a website that had a strong statement of “birds aren’t real”. While analyzing the site, I came across the background information page. It went into the detailed history of how robot birds came about in this country. But it seems rather crazy to think all birds are robots, no? The theorists that have made this statement are trying to convince others that in every way it is true. The guts of the birds, fake. Bird poop, fake liquid. They want people to simply rely on any information they hear or read. Now this is where the conspiracy theories become dangerous because they can make others feel awfully paranoid and convinced of something that can be incredibly false, and lacks reliable evidence.
Conspiracy theories without a doubt are dangerous. The largest and most obvious problem is that society is never on the same page. There’s typically only 1 true, correct answer, so having divided opinions separates our lack of understanding with each other.
Additionally, problems branch out beyond the theory. Fights and outbreaks occur. Because of how we function, most people arguably want to be right, so especially in larger conspiracy theories, there is heavy debate tearing us apart.
Also, conspiracy theories have become a huge waste of time and resources. Conspiracy theorists dedicate days, weeks, and even years trying to prove something that simply cannot be proven. Countless dollars are wasted on research that only produces no factual evidence. There is no true value in dedicating your life to a conspiracy theory. All together, conspiracy theories only cause harm and society needs to start searching for real facts instead of chasing their own tail.
Online conspiracy theories are dangerous as they manipulate people into believing fake news or opinions. This can be harmful as conspiracy theories are made to be believable with either false information, manipulated facts, evidence from fake professionals or opinions to lead others on.
With the rise of technology, people surf the internet daily on different social media platforms. These big platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. became a common ground for false information like conspiracy theories, which corrupts the thoughts of the people with a single click of a button. However, it doesn’t end on social media alone. Articles of fake and manipulated evidence of conspiracy theories are crafted daily, for years on end, like the lochness monster or yeti.
Personally, it’s not the thought of conspiracy theories that is dangerous. It’s the actual context within the conspiracy theories that motivates people to act is the dangerous part. For example, flat earthers do not typically hurt anyone, besides the obvious discrediting of the discoverer of Earth’s shape. On the other hand, believers of conspiracy theories are endangering the animals in the wild when they hunt and kill animals to discover the so-called lochness monster. Nonetheless, the spreading of misinformation and treatment of people by conspiracy theorists is hurtful and wrong
A conspiracy theory is a false idea of judgment. I think online conspiracy theories can be dangerous. Since conspiracy theories are false, and the media is widespread, people can spread false ideas. A conspiracy theory can also target a specific person, which could put them at risk for defamation. It also can cause unnecessary stress and panic in people. Conspiracy theories spread false information throughout the media and can give people false perceptions. For example, in the Idaho murder case, many people on Tik Tok had a theory that the murderer was the food truck worker. People aggressively accused this man of brutally murdering 4 innocent people with no proven evidence. Due to this widespread conspiracy, this innocent man lost his reputation. He was being threatened, lost his job, and reputation all because of someone else’s false accusations. He was even said innocent by the police, but people still believed it was him. Conspiracy theories can ruin peoples lives. It is basically one giant rumor. Conspiracy theories are potentially dangerous and people need to be more aware of what they are watching and reading.
Conspiracy theories are creative non factual information spread across the globe plaguing true factual information. The reason conspiracy theories are dangerous isn’t because it’s not factual but because we as people are easily susceptible to false information believing it’s all real. It’s easy to be susceptible to things like conspiracy theories because we are so dead in our brain.Theories like alien reports and Bigfoot have led people to do things and take it to extreme thinking it would lead them somewhere and in those cases fame. At one point It has been reported that People would not take the Covid vaccine because of the conspiracy that the vaccine wouldn’t cure the virus but instead do more damage.
Conspiracy theories have the capacity to be dangerous, but to what extent can they be dangerous? They can influence ideas that are dangerous or false in mentally weak people. For example if I tell a crazy person that everyone in the government is a lizard, that person might try and hurt the government people. This can obviously be very dangerous to people and that’s only a theory about people in the government. If you told someone that aliens are controlling everybody and that person didn’t have common sense, they also might try and do something bad. I think they are dangerous because any person who lacks critical thinking OR common sense could think of these theories as facts when in reality all they are are theories.
Some people are blind to conspiracy theories, and believe they can be harmless because of what they are questioning. On the contrary,I believe that online conspiracies can be very dangerous because of how willing us humans are to believe anything we hear or see. We humans are very gullible.
Conspiracy theories can be traced back a long time. Some examples of conspiracy theories could be the second gunman from JFKs assassination or the new world order. There are people who wholeheartedly believe these conspiracy theories to be true. These are also the people standing in the middle of the street screaming “The earth is flat and lizard people are in control of the government!” This is when it becomes dangerous for themselves and the people around them. Due to this, we as a society need to learn how to fact check better so that we can protect ourselves from any dangers believing things blindly can lead to.
I don’t think online conspiracy theories will alway be dangerous. I think it depends on how far the idea gets pushed. If someone just puts something onto the internet without any intention of it being a whole big deal and discloses that. That isn’t harmful. It only becomes dangerous when it’s promoted as real and it gets spread around.
On the other hand one could argue that the reason online conspiracy theories are dangerous or potentially dangerous is because of the people who buy into them. People who believe them and don’t do their research are just as equal to blame. If you don’t research the source, and start spreading the conspiracy theory you found. You are to blame if it becomes a problem. People need to be smart online and do their research.
In discussions of conspiracy theories, one controversial issue has been whether or not conspiracy theories are dangerous. On one hand, some might argue that they do more help than harm in regards to warning us for upcoming events. On the other hand, others contend that the idea of conspiracy theories being a danger to society and our own beliefs. My own view is that conspiracy theories can be fun ideas to mess around with but can become dangerous when projecting to a broader audience due to false declarations being made about a certain subject.
Initially, conspiracy theories are thought to be fun and entertaining ideas, for example, Youtuber, Shane Dawson. He produces many videos regarding conspiracy theories, making it into what he is known for on the Youtube platform. One of his conspiracy theories that was popularized was that the iPhone live photos feature was spying on Apple users.
Conspiracy theories can definitely be dangerous, as the internet misleads various people. Photoshop and other photo editing apps, supposed “reliable” sources, deceive the audience into believing something completely opposite from the truth. Online conspiracy theories can bring out the crazy and unexpected from frightened people such as riots, violence, and/or any contradictory behaviors towards the government, in most cases such as political conspiracy theories like false elections or like the one theory where people believed that the moon landing was fake. It is very easy nowadays to find a source and make it fit and support your theory, tweaking it the way we want thanks to our current technology and softwares available to us. The effects of conspiracy theories can be extremely dangerous to our society considering the deceptions and brainwashing of audiences through news channels and articles online, or social media. The internet’s false information and theories can spread like wildfire and will only make it easier to fool and trick the youth.
I believe that conspiracy theories can definitely be dangerous and can put the wrong image into peoples head. For example, the conspiracy theory that the earth is flat may not be putting people in direct danger however it is putting the wrong image into peoples mind. Not all conspiracy theories are necessarily harmful or bad, for example I have watched a conspiracy theory on Spongebob and it was just explaining what they think the back story to some people or just the story and timeline of Spongebob. Some conspiracy theories like that are basically harmless and it will cause people to act irrational or put them in danger. However some conspiracy aren't always that innocent and may be telling people to do something that might put them in danger.
I do not watch a lot of YouTube videos. I believe I have watched some conspiracy theories but I don't really remember. I am a person who doesn't really listen or believe anything, because now these days its really hard to believe in anything. I do not know if its real or not and its hard to tell as well. People could spread false information.
Yes, they're probably one of the worst things to consume on the internet these days with kids indulging in these videos. Hey can be very misleading and become almost one big rabbit hole. I used to watch a lot of YouTube to pass time and yeah sometimes I would find myself watching a conspiracy video saying aliens were being transported on earth which supposed was the truth, I'm going to be honest it scared me. Then there would be some about wars and stuff saying the government was against us and as a 11-year-old I ate it all right up.
To young minds and susceptible adults these things seem to make sense to us because they show us supposed truth which could easily be edited and created artificially in photoshop and other editing software. These are especially detrimental to people with existing mental issues. People that are susceptible could make poor decisions based on what someone on YouTube said and end up hurting someone because of a supposed truth. Although usually you can just tell they are fabricated but if you really can't prove it wrong you believe it's right and that's not always the case Although I'll give it to you some do seem pretty real with leaked documents and stuff, it shouldn't just be recommended to people like that you have to be mature enough to deduce the facts and determine if you believe it or not.
@Mauricio Block 1 Conspiracy theories can be bad and good, maybe it's a conspiracy of a video game or a new show, these could unlikely have a negative impact as they just are interesting. I think that's why they became so popular because it got people to think and try to connect the dots almost like a board game, some even saw it as a hobby. The article states, “The company has said its recommendations drive over 70 percent of the more than one billion hours people spend watching videos each day, making the software that picks the recommendations among the world’s most influential algorithms.” As I said in the first paragraph I would find myself looking at these videos because of this feature. Although I understand their efforts it is almost impossible for every single YouTube video to reach standard. It's pretty much left up to you to make the decision to trust these videos.
Despite how ridiculous it can be, I love a good conspiracy theory. One of my favorites is the theory that the Great Pyramids were built by aliens, or that humans at least had extra-terrestrial assistance in the construction of them. Most online conspiracy theories are as non-threatening as the one mentioned earlier, but there are a few that could misinform a lot of people. For example, the theory that 5G internet causes cancer, or that President Biden is a robot. These seem silly and are obviously not very well supported, but widespread misinformation about serious issues could lead to unrest and chaos, similar to what happened at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
According to the article, Youtube limits the spread of videos that could misinform users in a harmful way. I stand by Youtube on their decision because I feel like we need to have standards for what should be on the internet. Youtube already takes down videos that are either too obscene or too graphic, so it makes sense for them to also take down videos for being dangerously misleading. While it’s easy for us to see these conspiracy theories and immediately recognize them as being absurd, many people, typically our older generations, tend to have a hard time knowing which sources are reliable.
1. The only time when I watch YouTube is when I get really bored. TikTok is my main base but when I watch YouTube, I watch tarot card readings or I listen to music from there. Yes, I have watched videos that discuss conspiracy theories. hey have always fascinated me ever since I was in seventh grade. If the person uses reliable sources or goes to the place then I know it's factual. Chernobyl was a popular conspiracy and people have actually gone there to prove it. Meanwhile there are people who use their own facts and state them as if they were from a reliable source. However, most people who use fake information are called out pretty quickly. There are people who are too fascinated with this and will spot a lie quickly.
2. People get themselves into dangerous situations just like the Area 51 situation. In paragraph 12 , “ YouTube's success has come with a dark side”. This just proves how YouTube programs their recommendations with fake news or conspiracy theories. This kind of topic is sometimes brought up in a long car ride or at the dinner table just to get a conversation going. No one in my family is crazy about it only due to the fact that it just does not interest them. There are some that are so fascinating that you want to go to the place where the theory evolved from or even learn the history behind it. Conspiracy theories can lead to dangerous acts though.
No I personally do not like to watch YouTube that much. I used to like it during middle school but I pretty much lost interest due to the fact that the content is often really similar and nothing unique. Yes, I have watched videos that discuss conspiracy theories and I always thought that the satire in those videos was pretty funny. No, I personally believe that those videos are only for entertainment purposes and when not specified can be very dangerous. For example "...Youtube nearly eradicated some conspiracy theories...including claims that the earth is flat and that the U.S. government carried out the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks...". I usually go on Google to gather research about something that interests me. But, while the web is full of knowledge it is also full of garbage. Knowing that I always make sure to research multiple pages and compare their research with one another to see if they align. I do this because most time if there is real knowledge on a page than most likely it will align with research done by another page that has real information, whereas garbage information usually does not align in story with another garbage research.
I watch youtube videos everyday. I watch different types of youtube videos all the time but I have never watched a video on conspiracy theories. Although I have never watched videos on conspiracy theories, I do believe in it because it shows how people can have an imagination from a different perspective. To know if something is either a fact or fabricated is when you look it up on a different website to see if it is the same exact fact and if not one of them is fake. Conspiracy theories are different hypothesis of other things that can happen. For example if 9/11 had parachutes would more people be alive? Another example is what if aliens were real and invaded the world and brought us all to space with their 'spaceships'. Another conspiracy theory could be if you believe it was something or someone else doing this particular "thing". For example if there was a serial killer on lose and detectives are trying to find out who murdered them, a theory would be that it couldve been a family member or there could be multiple serial killers killing people all around.
I'm concerned about the people believing conspiracy theories because it can lead to someone being misled on the topic if it’s false, but I don't know anyone personally that takes conspiracy theories seriously. I think conspiracy theories can be fun and interesting depending on the topic. If it's a touchy or controversial topic I believe it can lead to some consequences due to the fact of the topic. If it's something not so serious I think they are fun and interesting to read or listen about it. Yes conspiracy theories can be dangerous due to the fact that some topics people are discussing are very serious and can lead to something bad happening or misleading people. For example what if a conspiracy theory went around about the government but was completely false It can lead people to change their perspective on it which can possibly lead to problems occuring due to this.
@Jahsir I'm also concerned about how easily people believe what's on the internet. I feel like our modern era is partially to blame for the spread of false information; everyone has a platform to speak their mind. Conspiracy theories are not always dangerous, usually only when they deal with controversial topics as you mentioned in your comment. A theory about how the government is a hoax would likely be dangerous with enough voices gathered as it's rooted in fear.
@Jahsir I agree with you people don't see that it can be very harmful if it misleads the wrong person. I used to find some interesting but I never really believed them
I am not too concerned about people believing in conspiracy theories because it shows how people have different perspectives and imaginations. I can sometimes be concerned about people believing in conspiracy theories because sometimes it can be a negative theory or dangerous. It can be dangerous depending if it can be a real theory. I don’t take conspiracy theories seriously because it's not something that is real or ever true. It's something that you make up or think can happen in a situation. My parents take conspiracy theories as a joke because they make them all the time and they can be funny. For example what if humpty dumpty didn’t fall off the wall, how would the song go? I think conspiracy theories are fun and interesting. It would be cool if there was a club and you could compare conspiracy theories you have and see what other people think about it. For example, according to the article ``Do you think online conspiracy theories can be dangerous?’’ it states “The researchers found that Youtube has nearly eradicated some conspiracy theories from its recommendations, including claims that the earth is flat..” In my opinion I think that this theory is very silly and is not true. From my past teachers, they have said the earth is round (like a sphere) and it spins around every year. Overall I do not think conspiracy theories are dangerous unless aliens invade the world and we all die.
I do watch youtube videos a lot considering I am always very busy. At night I tend to watch like one to two hours of youtube videos. I have watched videos that have discussed conspiracy theories. I do believe some of the videos such as the theories that there are sea monsters . I only believe this because of how much of the ocean we have not explored. I am able to tell if something is rooted in fact or simply fabricated on youtube and social media because they normally explain the process they went through to research on youtube and on social media they will normally list their articles and explain their research. Also yotube had made a statement about misleading information, " In January 2019, Youtube said it would limit the spread of videos ``that could misinform users in harmful ways" ".
1) Yes, I watch a lot of YouTube videos. I have not watched many that discuss conspiracy theories. I don't realize it at first when something is fabricated but then I search it up and see if it is true or not. Sometimes when something is not true it is hard to tell the difference but you can also check if it is written or wrong by looking closely at the picture. Other times it is just common sense to be able to tell when something is fake or not. In the text it states “But its progress has been uneven and it continues to advance certain types of fabrications, according to a new study from researchers at University of California, Berkeley.” This shows that Youtube is still fabricating videos.
2)I am a little concerned that people will believe the conspiracy theories. If the people believe the theories then that could affect the way the world works. For example, if you talk about COVID-19 people will have different conspiracy theories on whether masks work. It is not something that we really take seriously; we sometimes just discuss them as a family during dinner or something. I think conspiracy theories are more on the fun and interesting side because they are fun to read and sometimes they can become a serious thing when they relate to the real world strongly. I don’t think that conspiracy theories are dangerous because it is a thought process of one person.
I watch YouTube videos every day for like for 3-4 hours and I watched some conspiracies theories videos about games, film, movies, people, etc. I sometimes believe in the videos because their statement makes sense and sometimes the proof could lead to that statement. I know that it is from YouTube because every social media platform has their own layout and you could look at the URL to see if something is from YouTube or a different platform. Some videos could be telling factual evidence while some videos could make fabricated evidence that sounds believable and lie to their viewers to believe them. YouTube said themselves that the "spread of videos could misinform users in harmful ways". YouTube algorithm is based the recommendation videos that is based on the user who is using the social media platform. If the user sees one video of a conspiracy theory, YouTube will recommend another video of a conspiracy theory and so on.
I am concerned about some people believing in conspiracy theories because it is possible that it can cause some people to go insane and start to yell at people who go against their theory. Theories are something that really nobody takes seriously but whenever I hear a conspiracy about something I believe it 50/50 until I have facts to judge whether or not the conspiracy is true or not. I feel as though some conspiracies are for fun, however some conspiracies can cause serious consequences and it will drive people absolutely mad. Some people send threats about people who go against their theories which are of course messed up. But how people react is always dependent on the person who believes the theory, not always the person who made it.
Many people need to remember that conspiracy theories are just theories that people have made up. I think it's concerning more with older people, like adults, and with children. Adults that are not that familiar with social media might take what someone posted as a joke seriously. They don't fully understand this generation's humor and it might cause them to believe in random conspiracies. Children also fit into the same category because they are also too young to understand the difference between real and satire. My friends and I sometimes take conspiracy theories seriously like the one that joked around how Chuck E Cheese reuses their pizza and the conspiracy that mattress firms are just money laundering businesses. I think its fun and interesting depending on the conspiracy but many people do take it far especially on social media. People become obsessed with conspiracies and try to find a lot of information on the topic just to validate them. The article even stated that the FBI recently identified the fringe of conspiracy theories as a domestic threat".
Yes I do watch a lot of YouTube videos in my daily life, but only watched conspiracy theory videos on occasion. I never believe the information in those videos. I have noticed that even if I rarely watch these videos they would keep on popping up on my recommendation which isn’t a surprise as that is how the YouTube algorithm works. Although YouTube may say that they try to stop these recommendations, their change isn’t really effective. The article says, "its recommendations of conspiracy theories jumped back up and then fluctuated over the next several months." I would usually know if something on YouTube or on another social media platform is rooted in fact or lies by first judging how rational the theory sounds. Then I would go on Google and search up the topic, browsing through various sites to see if the information lines up and if it does then it may be true. I'm not really that concerned about people believing in conspiracy theories because it doesn't affect me in my life through my friends and immediate family. Conspiracies can be interesting and intriguing, but I would hope that people don't believe them mindlessly without doing their own research with sources that aren't biased. Lighthearted conspiracies can be fine such as conspiracies in a show, but when it's about things such as the Coronavirus and vaccines that's when it's dangerous. Misinformation in conspiracy theories that can lead to serious consequences such as death and it can affect gullible people.
Conspiracy theories can be concerning especially how elusive the internet has become. We are all vulnerable to fake information more than ever. Between my friends and I, we definitely see things with a more open mind and we try to be aware of anything that could be fake news. We don't really take some conspiracy theories seriously but they do raise questions and it can just be neutral conversation about them. I think conspiracy theories should always be held at the standard of it only being a speculation rather than the absolute truth. Unfortunately these propositions are taken very literally and can cause impulsive and aggressive reactions from viewers. Of course it is natural to wonder the probability of a theory but it shouldn't be the core of chaos. If someone is really invested in a theory and wants to find out more they should thoroughly study the topic on their own and verify the evidence used in it.
I don't watch a lot of you tube videos I'm usually on different apps such as Netflix or Hulu to watch something. However, I have watched videos that discuss conspiracy theories simply because they are interesting to me. I believe that anything is possible but there needs to be verifiable evidence for me to even consider it. For example, evidence that is verifiable are things like UFOs being depicted in ancient art, Government documents that were released to the public, or direct comments from FBI agents. Substantial evidence like that contributes to a likely chance of a theory happening. Still, it's important to remember that these cases are just judgement and there isn't any full details to actually confirm anything. With that in mind I tend to watch just because it makes me wonder about different possibilities but not to actually gain concrete knowledge. How I know if something is fabricated I try to fact check and see how credible the sources that were used, such as any people, agencies, items, or studies mentioned. If I can't find anything reliable I don't take the information as seriously.
I am very concerned that people are think that these videos are real. There a little kids on the internet now and when they see these videos they will believe it. The kids on the internet will believe anything. My 8 year old cousin has her own iPad and watches YouTube off it. I am very concerned once she finds about 9/11 she will find a video of the conspiracy theories and believe what the video says. To me even though I do not believe in the conspiracy theories I think that they are very interesting. I think that they are interesting because its cool hearing what ideas people came up with. I think that these theories can be dangerous. I think that they can be dangerous because it may change someones opion on something and the person believing this might do something. It could be bad. The article shows "YouTube faces an onslaught of misinformation and unsavory content uploaded daily. The F.B.I recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat
I don't take conspiracies theories that seriously. Except when it has to do with spirits since I'm a big believer of them. My parents don't really believe in stuff like that so they think I'm crazy. But I think that conspiracies theories can become dangerous to people. Depending on what they are trying to say. Its hard to explain. But if the theory is somewhat dangerous and life threatening. And a person thinks its a good idea to try it out and see if its real or not. They could seriously end up getting hurt. Which is why I think YouTube should kind of take control of some of these videos that are being put out there. Just to keep everyone safe and from doing anything stupid.
YouTube is a very popular app that many people use on the day to day which is either posting videos or watching videos. Yes I do watch a lot of YouTube videos. I usually have fazes of what I watch. Varying from story times too makeup to vlog's to conspiracy theory videos. I watch conspiracy theories from different YouTube. For example, one conspiracy theorist that I used to watch was Shane Dawson, even though he is cancelled now. He used to talk about a lot of conspiracy theories. Including government theories, supernatural theories, some having to do with celebrity, aliens, and more. I do believe in these types of videos. But I keep in mind that they are "theories'' and not true statements. So sometimes I believe and sometimes I do not. For example “ These researchers found that YouTube has nearly eradicated some conspiracy theories from it's recommending, including claims that the earth is flat and that the U.S government carried out the 9/11 attack.” As seen in the article. I have definitely heard these theories, and I am not sure if I believe it. I know if a YouTube video is fabricated or rooted in fact by kinda just be trusting myself in what I think is really just added on to the truth or if something is actually a fact.
1. Youtube for me is an everyday thing. I watch it to listen to podcasts, informational use, and comedic use. I do believe in videos on information. For example, I look at a lot of things about computers and how to build computers. A lot of the information the creators of these videos provide I do believe because of the fact it is very simple to know if the information is wrong. The way I do a fact check on misleading or wrong information is by doing my research and looking at multiple videos and articles to see if they all have simular to almost the same information. In conspiracy theory wise I do not believe these theories because of the fact you dont know if its true or not. A Theory is a suspision or thought that you or someone has on a topic, so the main reason why I do not believe in these theories is because no one knows if it's true.
2. I am not really concerned about conspiracy theories, if anything I dont realy care about them because it is someone else thought or theory. My family and friends dont take conspiracy theories seriously because they dont know if the theory is true or not. I do not think conspiracy theories are fun because of the fact it can cause many problems if you talk about it out loud to the wrong crowd of people. I think these theories can cause consiquences because other people are beliving in your theory now what if that theory isnt true and is proven wrong then youll look dumb.
I do watch a lot of youtube videos but I do not watch conspiracy theory videos. Most false conspiracy videos are far fetched ideas and obviously lies. In one of the article it says that misinformation is being recommended by youtube. I think even though youtube should not be responsible to check all videos posted on there platform, they should at least be checking videos that they are promoting.
I think that people who believe these videos are few and far between and most people watch these videos just to laugh at others stupidity. I don't know anyone who takes videos like these seriously so it does not concern me. Conspiracy theories by them self are not dangerous but depending on what misinformation is spread people who believe it could be dangerous an become violent and potentially harmful.
Yes, I watch a lot of YouTube videos, mostly about the games I play. I have watched a video about conspiracy theories and have listened to podcasts about conspiracy videos. The information in the video actually made a lot of sense and it was very believable. If something is a fact or not, its hard to identify if it is real or not. Conspiracy theories are very misleading and could be dangerous. Conspiracy theories had lead people in places they shouldn't be." The researchers found that YouTube has nearly eradicated some conspiracy theories from its recommendations, including the claim that the earth is flat and that the U.S government carried out the Sep 11 terrorist attacks". My friends have even talking abut this conspiracy theory, it was about 9/11, the conspiracy theory was so believable, that the government had to take it down because so many people were getting misleading by it.
I dont think we should take conspiracy theories seriously. Most of them dont have any brute information that is 100%. I think that conspiracy theories are bad and have bad outcomes when making them. As it stated in the article " YouTube tries to take down these video because it could misinform users in a harmful way" I completely agree with this, because some people will think that these are true. For example, if someone sees a conspiracy theory about a secret civilization in Antarctica, them believing it will make them want to go to Antarctica. This doesn't help anyone and it even harms people.
Yes, i do watch a lot of YouTube videos. I have seen and watched videos on conspiracy theories. Do I believe in them? No I don't. Some can be seen more real than others but I still do not believe these theories. Some could be true and some I do believe and some I don't. You can check if they are real and fake by just looking it up on any search engine. You can also see what other people are saying about this topic. According to the article it states "YouTube recommends conspiracy theories far less than before." This shows that YouTube be recommends a lot of these type of videos. If you watch just one there will be a lot more and you will watch it because you are interested. This may lead you into thinking that these videos are real.
Yes, I think online conspiracy theories can be dangerous. Private information, personal information can be spread if wrong and false information is spread. A piece of information that can support my statement can be,“YouTube’s success has come with a dark side”. This shows how easily false information can be spread on the internet. Yes, I have watched a lot of videos that discuss conspiracy theories. I believe some of the videos and some I don’t. I believe some of the topics because they source the video and information. If I was interested in the subject, I would search up the source and look for more opinions and information about the topic. For example, I would read articles, look at pictures and ask people what they think or feel. I wouldn’t share this information because there can be rude opinions, but I would like to know for my own knowledge.
I am not concerned about people believing conspiracy theories. My family and I do not take conspiracy theories seriously but there are some conspiracy theories that we are suspicious about. For example, my sister and I have read many articles and studies on how people didn’t actually land on the moon. We don’t strongly believe it or spread false information around, we read about these things for fun. I do think some conspiracy theories are fun and interesting to learn about. For example how some famous people didn’t actually die or how ghosts are real. Another example can be time travel. There are many videos and articles on how many famous people suspiciously look very similar to people in the 16th or 17th century. Conspiracy Theories can be dangerous if you spread false information about it. This can reveal someone's private or personal information can be spread. This can cause severe harm about one person or a group of people.
Yes it is true that I do watch a lot of you tube videos. To be honest I have not ever watch any you tube conspiracy theories yet but I gonna be honest I have heard of a lot of conspiracy theories before like that birds and Alexa are made by the government for the government to make sure they know what were talking about (not that I believe it of course). I have discussed conspiracy theories with a lot of people like my friend and my family with dependent on the theory was. For example when I was talking about it to my friends they thought bout it being really whereas my parents didn't one bit.
I am very concerned about how many people believe in these conspiracy theories. Nobody that I know has or probably will ever believe in these conspiracy theories but however I do know that a lot of people believe in. I don't think that these theories are fun and interesting because people take it way to seriously and that people actually believe it like the earth is flat. I do believe that with how many people believe it can have some consequences. I don't think that these theories are dangerous but I do believe that the way that people take it as it can be dangerous.
yeah i watch a lot of YouTube videos mostly about games and if i need to know how to do things. I also like to sometimes watch conspiracy theories. but i never really believe the conspiracy theories because they are just too unbelievable. Well if i want to find out if something is a fact or fictional i usually look things up and do a little research to see if it is or not and if i don't have time to do that at that moment then i just go with the most logical option.
I'm not really concerned about conspiracy theories. also not concerned about other people believing in them because some of them are so outrageous that they're not even close to being halfway believable. My family and I don't take them seriously but I do have some friends that believe in a few like Kyle believing in the JFK conspiracy theory. I think they are just fun and interesting to see what people can come up with but I don't really think conspiracy theories can cause a real threat.
I do not watch a lot of youtube videos. But when I do, they are either about conspiracy theories and/or something spooky. I don't watch these videos to get "educated" considering we don't know whats true or false. Its pure entertainment to hear and watch peoples theories cause it makes you think outside the box and what could be beyond normal eyesight. We do not know if what we see on social media or youtube is a fact or fabricated unless there is proof. But with conspiracy's, they all form from your critical thinking. In the article it said that research shows that youtube has put out more false videos that cause divide.
With this information, you need to be very careful of what you watch and believe .
I think Im more concerned then I should be. My family, friends, and I definitely do not take conspiracy theories seriously. In my opinion, they are just for fun and definitely are interesting but for actual information, I would not believe any of them until they are proved. I think they can be dangerous and consequential for people to believe everything they hear. People who aren't open minded would have an easier time believing conspiracy theories. That is why conspiracy theories are dangerous, because they could be believable.
1. Yes I do wach a lot of youtube videos. I watch youtube everyday. Yes I have watched youtube videos that discuss conspiracy theories. The videos are usually very entertaining and interesting. Most videos are made with the intent to get as many views as possible which ends up in the quality of the conspiracy theory to be low.The article says ¨research has shown that the sites reccomendations have been systematically amplified with clearly false videos¨. But when they are made for the sole purpose of the theory they seem to be very accurate and belivable. A good way to know if something is true or fabricated is if the youtube creator provides a website source or evidence of proof of their claims. If a video is not what the title was or thumbnail was and the creator is just using random facts or has no evidence for his or her claims then the video will most likely be fabricated and not trustworthy.
1. I spend a lot of time watching YouTube, and I have seen many conspiracy theories videos. Most of these videos are not believable. They mostly seem like crazy stories that people came up with out of nowhere because they thought people might believe it. I only watch them for entertainment purposes, because it is cool to think that maybe things aren't as you thought and it gets me thinking. I never really thought that people might believe them, then end up spreading falsehood. The article covers most of the conspiracy theories that I have seen are the flat earth, and the aliens building the pyramids. Others no in the article that I have seen are that JFK's assassination was an inside job and that Hitler never killed himself and that he escaped. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen many conspiracy theory videos in the last couple of years since YouTube stopped recommending them. You can almost always be sure that these are fabricated. It is very unlikely especially since ever historical record says that it happened one way.
I watch youtube but I dont usually watch conspiracy videos because I think that most are stupid and dont make sense. Once in a while one will pop up and if it looks interesting I'll watch it but I understand that a lot of the facts they use are taken out of context or just false. The only video that I ever believed was one about the John F Kenedy assasanition but I don't think that's really even a conspiracy anymore since most people believe there was something going on. You can usually tell if something is wrong by just looking at their profile to see if they typically push an agenda in their videos. Also by simply looking up to see if the information is true or not you can see if it is real. For the most part if you see something ion youtube or facebook and it isnt from a reputable source you shouldn't believe it and I think that is a good way to make sure you dont believe false information.
I used to watch a lot of YouTube videos, but now I don't watch them as frequently as I did. I have watched videos that discuss conspiracy theories and I have believed a few. But some of them just sound ridiculous. I usually watch Shane Dawson's conspiracy theories and those videos were always popular and gained many views. They were very interesting to watch and listen to. But he would always make sure to state in the beginning of the video that everything he is saying is just theories, and they are not proven facts. The videos were for entertainment purposes only. If something is fabricated on social media, there will be no facts or information to back it up. If something is rooted in fact, there will typically be many sources to back up that fact. You can also simply look at the comments on whichever social media platform it is on. Sometimes if I don't know whether something is true or not, I will look at the comments and find out there.
I am not that concerned about people believing conspiracy theories. I do not take it seriously, and neither do my friends and family. But, I have seen people who do take things like conspiracy theories very seriously, and they go very in depth with it. I think that conspiracy theories are interesting to listen to, however, I think that they can partly present serious consequences. They are called theories for a reason, so I don't think people should take extreme actions towards it.
There are thousands of videos explaining different types of conspiracy theories. Out of those thousands, there are going to be false theories. Even though they may be false, Youtube should not have the right to take it down because it violates freedom of speech. Youtube should be able to not advertise false theories as much as they advertise the true facts so Youtube can keep a good name for everyone that uses its site, But still leave it uploaded so that creator's idea is still there for people to see. Youtube does its job of advertising what's truthful and the viewer's job is to know what's clearly fact. As a viewer, differing falseness and facts can be to some extent. A video about aliens building pyramids should be clearly fake to most viewers, but a conspiracy theory video on politics can have a split between disagreeing and agreeing.
I am not extremely concerned about people believing conspiracy theories because at least the people I know wouldn't believe them so much that they would take actions for that reason. The people I know don't really take this stuff seriously, we acknowledge it but aren't heavily affected by it. I think conspiracy theories are dangerous only if actions are taken because of it. If they spark conversion only I think they are good, but if people start fighting because of it then they are bad. When I watch them a lot of the time they make me curious about that topic for a little while and then if you asked me about it the next day, I would have no idea anything about the topic. If I am to watch them it is usually for entertainment not because I want to be persuaded. Also there are conspiracies on everything pretty much. They go from minor sports events to the biggest events of history. This makes it likely that there will be one that pertains to everyone's interests.
I have watched a lot of YouTube videos. A lot of my time is made up of watching YouTube videos. I have watched conspiracy videos, a lot of them sound dumb though. A lot of them consist of "aliens built the pyramids" to "cats are actually aliens" or something like that. A way to make sure YouTube videos or social media has rooted facts and not some silly theory is by making sure the publisher has valid citations. The evidence comes from a good source, and is obvious that it is the truth. Anyone could go and say something is true and build up a theory even if the theory has evidence. However, once the facts are checked and aligned, there is an easy means of confirmation that what your reading is factual.
I think that YouTube has some responsibility because even though they have to make sure what they're promoting is appropriate, people are people. It's part of society to believe what people want and share what they want, but of course there should be lines that these publishers and viewers can't cross. It's gonna be hard for YouTube to filter everything that's messed up and if something is really wrong, they can get in trouble for that themselves.
I do watch a lot of YouTube videos at night or in the day, sometimes I watch YouTube videos for breakfast, lunch, and all the time at dinner. I have watched videos before that have discussed conspiracy theories, but most of them were about game lore, or about the lore of certain movie characters, and most conspiracy theories about the marvel universe and also about the marvel movies.
I don't always believe in all of the conspiracy videos I watch unless they give me hard evidence on what they are, so basically saying that what they said might, or certainly will be true.
If I knew what those people were talking about then I might certainly think it was wrong true based on how much information I have on what they are talking about, or if I don't know anything about what they are talking about I might as well think it is true.
Others believing in conspiracy theories don't concern me. Most conspiracy theories are fun and interesting. Examples of this would be, Bigfoot, aliens, and ghosts. On the other hand, some conspiracy theories can be very harmful. If a friend, relative, or stranger supports a damaging theory, it would be best to educate them and encourage them to no longer believe in a hypothesis without many facts. Negative theories such as this can present serious real-world consequences. Some can even be dangerous to one's safety. An example of a harmful conspiracy theory would be climate change. The text states, "harmful misinformation, including climate change misinformation." Climate change is a significant topic in this era, especially because of how worse it has gotten, so spreading media claiming it is false and misinformation, is more than untrue. Conspiracy theories are still in the process of being eradicated on social media but are proving to be difficult. However, the results are worth it to prevent malicious risks.
I feel very concerned about conspiracy theories overall, because there are many of us who only read posts, but have never wondered how true the information is. In my case, I have never taken a moment to think if the information that is being posted is related to a conspiracy theory, but now my mind has changed thanks to my News Literacy Class. Conspiracy theories are serious issues because there might be important events happening around a country that are not shared, while others that are fake are all over social media. In the article it says “ YouTube said it would limit the spread of videos that could misinform users in harmful ways”. I think that is a great action to take towards these false reports. Although, is very tough to delete all the videos that are being posted every day. It is crucial for us to confirm if a given information is true or not. A tool that could be used to proceed with this is to check the comments and compare people’s opinions. Another option is to look up trustworthy companies such as the New York Times, CNN, NBC. etc for the information that is being shared. The responsibility is on us to check the material that we are receiving before sharing it with more people, but before doing that we need orientation on how to do it.
I am not concerned at all about conspiracy theories. My family,friends, and even myself do not take conspiracy theories seriously. I do think that conspiracy theories can be interesting to read about. Even though I do not think they are real it is still intriguing to research about them and to maybe see they are true. I do think they can be dangerous at times. I believe they can be dangerous at times due to people thinking that they are real and making other people nervous about whatever that conspiracy theory is. They may also go to extreme measures to see if the conspiracy theory is indeed true which may harm themselves and others. In the article it says the following about conspiracy theories and how extreme it has gone. “The F.B.I recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat.” This shows how far a conspiracy theory has come.
I am not entirely concerned at the fact that people create their own theories. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion whether or not its far-fetched. However, people spreading misinformation, or worse, is concerning. Many people become gullible to things they see on social media, therefore, crowds will start to pick up on a certain idea. This can create serious problems, especially if its a theory based off of health, politics, etc.
I'm quite concerned for the people who believe in conspiracy theories easily. People could be spreading some level of "good evidence" in order to make a bad claim about something that although a theory, could ruin a reputation or career of something, or even make something look not what it seems. When it goes around, it gets believed in. Conspiracy theories are exciting to look into however evidence is required to something that never assume they are real until proven. Conspiracies could be dangerous and have consequences since if the information your spreading isn't real, your causing a blend of reactions, good or bad. Someone could take a fake fact seriously and could act in a bad choice because of it. If someone says "airbags cause disease" and all of a sudden people remove their airbags, that's not gonna be a fun situation. There needs to be evidence at a scale.
I am a little fearful of conspiracy theories and those who believe them. I don’t know if my family takes conspiracy theories because they have never been a part of our discussions. Personally, I’m intrigued by these theories, but that’s really it. I find them to be very interesting, but I am aware of the serious consequences they present. According to Nicole Daniels’ Do You Think Online Conspiracy Theories Can Be Dangerous? article, "In January 2019, YouTbe said it would limit the spread of videos "that could misinform users in harmful ways."" YouTube believes that some if not all conspiracy theories can be dangerous, as do I. For example, those who believe they can leave their physical body to live in some made-up world through means of meditation are harming both themselves and others, especially gullible kids. Anyone who believes in this theory but is unable to execute it is told that they aren’t trying hard enough, which to some children can be really damaging.
I spent quite some time on youtube watching videos, as they act as a basis of a lot of my motivation for my activities, but I mainly watch because I'm bored if I'm being honest. The only videos of conspiracy theories I watched are mainly about games, movies, and tv shows. I never let myself believe these theories if it's just absurd or has no actual backing, but if they provide a good argument with legitimate evidence, I would possibly believe them. To know if something on any social media platform is true, I search for their sources of evidence, check if the informer is trustable, see if there are others saying the same thing, and I check if the information doesn't make sense.
After seeing so much disconnection between people on so many things that should even be common sense, I am concerned. I go on the internet for one second and get frustrated at seeing millions of people falling for misinformation for even the simplest of things. It's especially depressing knowing a lot of kids are falling for it as well as a lot of the time, they are the main demographic as their minds are so susceptible to it and are easily influenced. Such harmful consequences are also dangerous as they are able to change the belief of others that may impact another. In real life, for instance, many make conspiracy theories that "climate change is a lie" as discussed in the article, resulting in people disapproving of climate change and harming the future of the planet and the generations to follow.
I watch ALOT of youtube videos. I've been watching youtube since first grade.
I have seen some videos that discuss conspiracy theories.
I usually believe them at first, but then check and then find out it is a complete hoax. I find them intriguing and entertaining to watch.
To see if it's fabricated, I usually check the comments section before any video and most of the time other people figure it out and spread the word that is it deceptive. If the creator of the theory didn't say it was for entertainment and for informative purposes, I would've been fooled by the video.
Most of those conspiracy theory videos that I happened to view don't even come from me searching them up. The article states, "Youtube's powerful recommendation algorithm, which pushes its two billion monthly users to videos it thinks they will watch, has fueled the platform's ascent to become the new TV for many across the world." Youtube's recommendation system is the main reason for why those videos pop up in my feed.
Yes, I do watch a lot of YouTube videos. I have watched a video or two negatively discussing people and their conspiracy theories. I don’t believe the conspiracy theories I hear, but I do find them interesting. Even if I know they are untruthful, I usually think about the theories deeply and play a game where I try to figure out a way in which they could be true. However that’s the thing, I don’t truly know if what I’m listening to is rooted in fact or simply fabricated. I usually try to uncover the truth by searching for more videos on the same topic, hopefully, taped by professionals who know what they are talking about. If YouTube fails me, I take to the internet looking for articles on these topics. At this point, I have probably formed an opinion and decided whether or not I think conspiracy theory is truthful.
Yes, I do watch a lot of YouTube videos. I have watched a video or two negatively discussing people and their conspiracy theories. I don’t believe the conspiracy theories I hear, but I do find them interesting. Even if I know they are untruthful, I usually think about the theories deeply and play a game where I try to figure out a way in which they could be true. However that’s the thing, I don’t truly know if what I’m listening to is rooted in fact or simply fabricated. I usually try to uncover the truth by searching for more videos on the same topic, hopefully, taped by professionals who know what they are talking about. If YouTube fails me, I take to the internet looking for articles on these topics. At this point, I have probably formed an opinion and decided whether or not I think conspiracy theory is truthful.
I think there can be instances when conspiracy theories can be dangerous, but people need to learn that they can't just believe anything that they see online. People have to understand that we are exposed to so much more information than we have in the past. I don't think it's the conspiracy theories that are dangerous. I think it's the people. Everyone's brains are wired to think differently. We just need more education on the topics and information that are exposed to us. YouTube already does their part and demonitizes videos they deem inappropriate. With the freedom of speech we have, it can be dangerous because people share opinions and of course their conspiracy theories that are utterly ridiculous yet people believe them. I really do think it should be people's responsibility because at the end of the day, you can't just stop people from speaking their minds. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Yes, I do watch a lot of YouTube videos. I have watched a video or two negatively discussing people and their conspiracy theories. I don’t believe the conspiracy theories I hear, but I do find them interesting. Even if I know they are untruthful, I usually think about the theories deeply and play a game where I try to figure out a way in which they could be true. However that’s the thing, I don’t truly know if what I’m listening to is rooted in fact or simply fabricated. I usually try to uncover the truth by searching for more videos on the same topic, hopefully, taped by professionals who know what they are talking about. If YouTube fails me, I take to the internet looking for articles on these topics. At this point, I have probably formed an opinion and decided whether or not I think conspiracy theory is truthful.
When i was younger i used youtube a lot. Nowadays though i don't really use it. I just watch netflix and hulu. But i have watched a lot of videos on conspiracy theories. And i have believed some of those videos and still do. The videos showed me enough real facts and made me believe in the theories. You could see if a youtube video is fake by many ways. Editing, if there is a lot of editing cuts in the video it usually means its fake.
I personally i am not that concerned about it but sometimes i think it can be a problem. Some people just take things too far. People who get really into conspiracies surround their lives with it and make things bigger than they are. Most of the conspiracy videos are just entertaining. They propse cool thoughts and its fun to think and talk about. But some conspiracies could have consequences. If they are trying to make a conspiracy about the government who knows they might be killed. Some can be dangerous if the topic is.
A little concerned because it could lead to harmful information but some harmless theories are fine. A good example of this was a few decades ago when daycares were first opening someone wrote a book about "his experiences" where he called it a devil-worshipping place. Later he admitted to lying. Now, this caused the country to go into a panic. They arrested hundreds of innocent people and they'd hold children in questioning for hours and they just said whatever they wanted to get out of there. People got life sentences and served about 20 on average before it was revealed it was fake. That's 20 years people spent because of something that turned out to be false. Some of them are still in prison to this day because of this false claim. Theories like this should be suppressed and be spread because it's clearly false if that would've happened in this case. Maybe people wouldn't have wrongfully spent time in prison for a crime they didn't commit that someone just made to make a few dollars and lied. So some are harmless fun but some could lead to something like that keep that in mind. In the text, it states, "The stakes are high. YouTube faces an onslaught of misinformation and unsavory content uploaded daily. The F.B.I. recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat." This shows how serious this is and how bad it could get and how it's gotten in the past.
1. I don't really watch youtube as much as I used to, but when I did I watched some videos on conspiracy theories and a lot of them made sense to me. I wouldn't say I believed in them,but I was impressed by how persuasive they were, because they hooked me in and have me invested. Nicole Daniels put it, "...the site's recommendations has systematically amplified divisive, sensationalist and clearly false videos." At face value it is hard to tell if someone is making something up about a theory. If I'm interested in the theory, I look into it. I mainly look to find any more details from the story. Then if I end up finding alternate stories, I determine if the theory I watched is fact or not.
2. I get very concerned if the conspiracy theory's serious, like climate change. It's destroying the planet, and harming everything on it. For someone not to believe it ,says a lot about their privilege. Everyone in my close circle strays away from conspiracy theories, since hardly any of them are proven. In some situations, they can be just a theory that most know is a joke. But, when its spreading false information world events, it's concerning. Some do not believe in climate change, when it's very real. When we are presented with and believe these theories, we're faced with a problem where there are people with power and influence to help the earth, that go against it because they do not believe that our earth is dying.
I used to when I was younger watch a ton of youtube videos of about everything and believed everything was true. Now that I'm older I don't watch them as much and have realized there are some untrue things on the internet. According to the text "youtube faces an onslaught of misinformation and unsavory content uploaded daily". The way i estimate if a concpericy is true or not is I make sure if what they're saying is backed up with evidence and information and if not then there's nothing proving its right. I think it's more of a personal reasoning that you have to decide for yourself if your going to believe it or not. I definitely like to keep in mind that people make crazy ideas just to advertise or just for pure harm.
I would say I'm pretty concerned, due to the fact that fake conspiracy can be harmful and not just a way to advertise things. People are very gullible and harmful fake news can take a wrong turn for them. We believe what we think is true but our better judgement might not always be true either. I think we should take it more seriously and learn how to detect fake news better. Different types of conspiracies can be fun and interesting to listen to if you keep yourself in the right head space because then again everyone has their own opinions. But it could be a serious consequence only if you let it. I think conspiracy theories are only dangerous if the content is not true and you believe it.
I am not very concerned about people believing in conspiracy theories. If they read about it, or watch something about a certain theory that is there choice to decide if they want to believe in it or not. Farshad Shadloo says, “Over the past year alone, we’ve launched over 30 different changes to reduce recommendations of borderline content and harmful misinformation, including climate change misinformation, and other types of conspiracy videos.” My family and friends wouldn't even take these seriously if they don't even show up on their feed anymore. If they did still show up on their feed I know my family, friends, and I included would not really take an interest into it. If there is a conspiracy theory about the fact that there is a unicorn island hidden in south of Jersey then I would definitely take a double take at that person but everyone has their own opinions. The way that I look at it, I feel like conspiracy theories are just for fun and can actually be interesting some times, but there are people who for sure take it very seriously. I haven't really looked into them that much so I can't really say whether or not they present serious consequences. From reading this article, even though I have not read a lot about conspiracy theories themselves I actually have found out that they can spread tons of misinformation and may be dangerous. For instance, things about the government, climate change or politics are having things said about them that are not true.
Yes, I'm very concerned about people believing in these theories because it can ruin someone's/people's reputation and that can affect their lives. Yes, I do think conspiracy theories are fun to listen to and interesting but I do believe that it can have some serious consequences depending on how big the theory is and how significant the topic/person/ place is. Yes they are dangerous, so dangerous that in the article it had stated, "The F.B.I recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terrorist threat." This just proves how harmful these theories are that the F.B.I had to come in and announce that to people so people can understand how bad these theories really are.
I am not that concerned about people believing conspiracy theories. I don't take conspiracy theories seriously and neither does anyone I know. That's why I am not that concerned about people believing conspiracy theories. I think most people post conspiracy theories for fun and because it gets them a lot of views. The article states, ¨...like claims that aliens created the pyramids, the government is hiding secret technologies, and that climate change is a lie¨(Daniels 2). I don't necessarily think conspiracy theories are dangerous, but they can have negative impacts. If someone watched a video where it said that climate change isn't real, then they might not care what they do and how it affects the planet. That would not be good because climate change isn't a lie. It is real. So while I don't think conspiracy theories are dangerous, I know that they can have a negative impact. Especially since many people watch them and don't fact-check to confirm if the videos are truthful or not.
I feel like I do watch a lot of YouTube videos but its only on my free time. I haven't ever watched a conspiracy theory video but on the contrary I have seen some on tiktok that just come up on my for you page.The same thing happens on YouTube as the article states "YouTube’s powerful recommendation algorithm, which pushes its two billion monthly users to videos it thinks they will watch, has fueled the platform’s ascent to become the new TV for many across the world." I believe in some of it only if it something that makes sense. If their is a video about how chicken nuggets are fake obviously I wouldn't believe it. I can tell if its real by doing more research. I can google it and look at a bunch of different sources to see if that theory or idea is true. A few of the ones that I see are of different movies and how they ended and where they would begin in the squeal. Those ones I almost always believe but if its something that was completely analyzed just be the color of the persons nails I won't always believe it.
I'm not to concerned about my family believing all the conspiracy theories. I know sometimes my friends and I might catch something and believe it because its about something that we all like. I think some conspiracy theories are interesting because they go into really elaborate things and have great detail. I don't really think that they would ever really have consequences because it just a theory and not something everyone should take seriously.
I watch a lot of youtube videos but rarely watch conspiracy theory videos. But I have seen a few videos on conspiracy theories. I'll be honest there are some that I believe in, showing I'm a pretty gulible person but there still are some to bizarre to me to be true. IYou can also check the comment section and see what others are saying. And know just because it's interesting doesn't mean that it's true. And don't trust Youtube because even they put fake news on your recommended. Just like in the article it says "Youtube's success has come with a dark side. Research has shown that the sites recommendations have systematically amplified divise, sensationalist and clearly false videos."
In my opinion I am not really concerned about people believing conspiracy theories. Only if it effects me. What I mean by that is if there is a conspiracy that is believable and my friends tell me about it I probably won’t care and I just trust their source. But if theres one that is completely false and my friends talk to me about it then it would be annoying. They would try to persuade me to believe it’s true and and I would probably look up some stuff about it. Personally I like conspiracy theories, they are interesting and show you other peoples perspectives on the world and events. And finally yes, they could be dangerous and they could really present consequences depending on the event they have a conspriacy about.
1. I used to watch a lot of Youtube videos, and yes, when you are younger conspiracy theories are the most attractive videos to watch, if I believe in them, not really, it was more for entertainment, this kind of videos are mostly crazy things that could not happen or unreal things, so I do not believe on them, nevertheless, it is entertaining or just thinking is real makes it interesting. Sometimes in youtube you can tell by far what is real o no, mostly because you can find them in these random channels, they also doesn't give any proof or in any other social media, you have to research the information in more pages, who wrote it, who is posting it, bibliography, how they get the facts and more. Despite the fake information, it is always fun watching these kinds of videos. For me, it's better to feel something than not to feel anything. That's why these videos attract so many people, it makes them feel different, but also depends on what kind of conspiracy is too.
I think I watch about 1 hour of YouTube videos a day. This is not a lot compared to others. The only conspiracy theory video I believe I watched was about the Illuminati. This was at a young age. Although, even at a young age I was able to tell that this was fake. When I hear someone say something on social media I take it with a grain of salt. Although, if someone says something that sounds true or interesting I search it up to see if its true. 90% of the time these are false.
People believing in conspiracy theories is quite scary. People believing in conspiracy theories could result in major problems now or in the future. Me, my family, or my friends don't take these conspiracy theories seriously. The only time any of my friends bring the topic of conspiracy theories up is to make fun of how ridiculous they are. I believe they are both fun and interesting and also can present serious consequences. It is fun to think about how a conspiracy might be going on. You could also fool around and play make-believe about the conspiracy theory. Although Some people could take conspiracy theories seriously. Conspiracy theories can also hurt the reputations of companies, people, and more because of false theories. Although conspiracy theories could be fun, the moment it becomes to believable and people start to believe in it, it could become dangerous. Conspiracy theories have become so problematic and dangerous that even the F.B.I called it dangerous and not a small issue anymore.
I do watch a lot of YouTube videos. I have watched some videos that discuss conspiracy theories. Although some of the videos can be very convincing, I usually don't believe them. Most youtube videos "milk the source" and exaggerate some facts to make the video less boring, just like how movies make things seem more extreme than they were. There are a lot of things you can do to check if something on various social media platforms is fact or fiction. The first thing you can do is google the topic and see what comes up. For example, you can find a news topic that might seem a little odd, and google it. If reliable sources come up with that topic, then it's most likely real. However, if no popular news sites come up, the topic might be fake. Companies are also taking steps to avoid fake news spread. In the text, it says that "Over the past year alone, we've launched over 30 changes to reduce recommendations of borderline content and harmful misinformation." Overall, this shows that companies, as well as the people, care about the spread of fake news.
I am not really concerned in the slightest about people believing conspiracy theories and fictitious news. I don't see fake news that often because I don't look for the news a lot. Most of the time I hear of something and then search it up. If it has a reliable source, it's most likely true. ***It wouldn't let me post the other half of my second paragraph.***
Many youtubers create a platform to spread misleading information or theories that can be harmful or disturbing among children. While I'm on YouTube I have watched videos that discuss conspiracy theories, but not alien or government conspiracy theories. I used to watch conspiracy theories of TV shows and movies. I remember when I watched a conspiracy theory on the movie Coraline. I remember how interested I was about that kind of YouTube content. When I watched these videos, I knew that it was just a theory which meant that it may or may not be true, but I remember how it would always excite me. While I'm on YouTube and I come across videos that don't seem believable, I would search it up online and click on trusted websites to see whether it's a fact or just fabricated, because what we see online is not always true.
In the article, it states that, “Mr Nicas reports on YouTubes efforts to minimize the spread of conspiracy theories on its site.” Depending on the type of conspiracy theory videos these young children come across, it can really mislead and scare kids: "YouTube said it would limit the spread of videos that can misinform users in harmful ways.” I'm concerned about people believing in conspiracy theories because most of the time, these conspiracy theories are not proven and may just be fabricated, but it's not my place to tell them what to believe and what not to believe. We all have things we believe in that others may not agree with.
1.)No I do not watch a lot of youtube videos. Although when I go into that period of time every once in a while when I do watch a lot of youtube yes I have seen my fair share of conspiracy theories. Though I have watched them I don’t really trust them. Even though i don’t watch them to believe them and only because yes they are interesting I don’t watch one and immediately go around spreading it with out fact checking it simply because I don’t trust the source being someone looking for likes and views and trying to become famous. For example, There is a creator on tik tok that I just saw the other day trying to convince people that vampires were use to be real. He said this using a picture of what looked like a human skull with fangs in it, said that people were use to put spikes in the mouth, wrist, heart, and other places on a body to pin them into the grave. Though this might seem believable, a simple google search is all it took to find out the truth. The picture was found, I learned that the cages were simply to stop grave robbers from steeling the bodies of loved ones and selling them to universities to study on, and the rods to pin them down was only done by a few people in comparison to what he made it sound like and was only done because of pure superstition. You can tell when something real or fake simply by digging into it. We have the internet, so use it.
Today, people, especially kids would believe tons of conspiracy theories. I think that people, even adults, would believe that it becomes a little bit concerning. I am concerned that everyone will be fooled into believing a theory with just one video or even a thirty second video on TikTok. I think humans believe these types of things because the videos would have evidence. However, most of the time they are edited or fake. Conspiracy Theories are not something that my family, friends and I take seriously. However, we do discuss these things often. I think conspiracy theories can be both fun and interesting and present serious consequences. For example, it's fun to think about what is possible or not. It helps people to open their minds and think. I believe that conspiracy theories can present serious consequences or can be dangerous. To give an example, ads would lead you to websites that could get you viruses. It's also dangerous because it makes people do illegal things just to find out the truth.
I do watch a lot of videos on YouTube. I have watched videos before that discuss conspiracy theories. There are many on YouTube. I don't really believe most of the videos I see. Many are just unbelievable. There's whole channels dedicated to conspiracy theories. There are theories that sound crazy, and almost impossible. However, there can be some truth to some of them. People probably think "conspiracy theories", then think everything there is false. I don't really know if something on YouTube is rooted in misinformation. If its a conspiracy video, I would try to use past knowledge to see if its true or not. I take these things with a grain of salt. If something is really big, then I would search it up on google. If it does not come up then I would assume its fake. I cannot really tell a video is fake or not, I try to see if the video is fake or not by googling it, or spotting inconsistencies. I am concerned a bit, but not too concerned. Its not really something I, nor my family takes too seriously. Many of them have a good point, and many conspiracy theorists care about the country and stuff. But, such misinformation can lead to violence in some cases. I think its okay sometimes, but when conspiracy theories lead to violence, then that's bad. They can be dangerous, and it could lead people to violence. As the text stated, these things can be divisive, and sensationalist, false videos are always popping up on people's recommendeds.
I watch a decent amount of youtube videos mostly people who I follow or like their content. I have watched a few conspiratorial theories videos. I do not believe in them but it is interesting to see how some people use the information for these crazy ideas. You can usually tell if they are fake or real if there is some crazy theory you have never heard about. You can also tell if they are trying to real you based on crazy information that you can tell is fake.
I am not very concerned about people believing in conspiracy theories because I believe that most people I'm around have a good awareness of what is true and false and straight-up nonsense. We do not usually take it seriously but we like to watch shows on history channels about bigfoot or other conspiracy theories just to see what people like to connect to certain events and also to learn more about people who believe in these things as professions do. Overall we do not believe in conspiracy theories but like
I watch a pretty good amount of YouTube videos when I am bored and I have come across a few conspiracy theory videos. The video I watched and remembered was about a person who was completely convinced that the earth was flat. He was so convinced that in the video it shows how over years he has been building a rocket to send himself high enough away from earth to see if it truly was flat. The guy returns from his rocket launch pretty disappointed in his findings. The way I tell if a story if fake or fabricated is I look at who posted it, the video quality and look for any obvious signs its fake or edited.
I think that conspiracy theories are becoming so popular on sites because of the amount of viewers it brings to the videos. The more views on the video the more money the person who posted it makes. Which is why conspiracy theories work so well for this because it brings in a large group of people that are curious and interested in a topic and keeps making them come back to every video they post after the first video they watch that catches them. They will keep waiting for more videos to be posted about the topic because they want to know more about the topic as soon as possible which means consistent viewers on the channel and consistent ad revenue for the creator of the videos.
1
I think they are so popular because they are something that isn’t normal. They are fun to listen to and to think about. You can see some theories and think about them for days. It is very easy to get lost in the loop of endless videos about the government or the pyramids. Personally, I like thinking about theories about aliens because it is fun to wonder if there are aliens or if they helped advance civilization, even though I know they are most likely untrue.
I watch a lot of youtube, especially during the pandemic with nothing else going on. I have watched conspiracy theories, mostly about more realistic things, like insurance scams or the ocean having undiscovered animals. Some I watch are more like aliens or secret governments. I don’t believe most of these videos, but sometimes wonder if they are true. A lot of these videos have solid evidence and good points. I tend to lean towards believing the theories that are plausible like the Titanic was switched with another ship. It is difficult to spot fake content on social media. Some conspiracy theory videos are obviously fake, with absurd facts. Sometimes it’s harder to see fake videos or posts. I just try to use common sense and really think about the post logically. That helps me figure out if the post is real or fake.
I think that conspiracy videos have become so popular because they are simply very entertaining. I kind of view it as like watching a fictional movie. Many times the stories told by these theories are very entertaining and that is precisely what makes them engaging to people. The added pretext that this is a story that happened in the real world is particularly intriguing to many people including myself, it's like an extra layer of entertainment.
I watch a fair bit of youtube. I used to watch a fair amount of conspiracy theory videos because they are very entertaining. Obviously the vast majority of these videos ( the most entertaining/ my favorite ones) are blatantly silly and wildly dramatic. i do not lend much credence to these videos. Typically I use a few thoughts to try to figure out if something holds any water or not. 1. Does the author have a motive to make this entertaining/sensationalized. 2. is there any way to verify the veracity of this information. 3. Is there a much simpler and more reasonable way to explain whatever the theory is based on. It is also important to discuss that not all conspiracy theories are created equal. There is a big difference between the theory that Obama is a lizard man, and that Jeffery Epstein was murdered. Ultimately I think we should have the right to make these kinds of media, but its danger is real and should a theory get out of hand its effects could be profoundly destructive. Critical thinking is key here.
I do tend to watch a lot of conspiracy theory videos on YouTube mainly because I find them very entertaining. I never really watch them because I believe in them, I just do it because it is interesting to see how people have different ideas about things that I never would have come up with on my own. I think it is pretty easy to tell when something is fabricated but if it is not then I tend to research it and try to verify the theory.
I am not extremely concerned about people believing conspiracy theories. I think that people are entitled to have their own opinions and as long as it doesn't get out of control and lead to something such as violence, then it is fine. In addition, I think the majority of the time conspiracy theories are mainly fun and interesting and don't cause any serious harm. The only time they could lead to something dangerous is when a lot of people start believing in them and getting extremely caught up in the theory despite it being false.
- Why do you think conspiracy theories have become so popular on sites like YouTube?
I think that one of the reasons conspiracy theories have become so popular is because people who believe that stuff knows that Youtube has billions of hours of streams per day, and there is a good chance a lot of people will see it. With that being said, they will not only spread their beliefs to other people, but they will also make money in the process. The more views they get, the more money they make, as well as people viewing their video and theory. In addition, if people watch one video on conspiracy theories, they might want to see more or see if other people have the same belief, so they will keep browsing Youtube to see if what they saw was right, or if there is anything else like it.
- How concerned are you about people believing conspiracy theories? Is it something that you, your family or friends take seriously? Do you think conspiracy theories are just fun and interesting, or do you think they can present serious consequences? Are they ever dangerous?
I am not concerned about people believing conspiracy theories. If it got to the point where everyone was believing things that were absurd, I would be worried, but luckily that is not the case. People have the right to think and believe what they want and there is nothing wrong with that. I think some are fun and/or interesting, and others are just plain stupid. If they can convince enough people, they can become dangerous.
To answer the first question I do tend to watch a lot of youtube videos as I find them interesting. Some of these videos that I watch are conspiracy-related videos but I only watch them for the purpose of entertainment. This is because I think that many of these videos and overall theories tend to be very fabricated and made up. At times I see myself get caught up in a specific theory but after I research the topic more I see that each theory is most likely fake and created to gain a following. so In order to fully understand and know if a theory is true one must do extensive research and go straight to the source.
Next, there are many reasons that I think result in these videos becoming popular. For example, these videos tend t give light to common unsolved events and "mysteries" that many people are looking for the answer to. so these videos lead to a sense of clarity. I also think that these videos provide people with a group of people that they feel have similar beliefs and allows them to connect to. as a result, these videos have become extremely popular.
Do you watch a lot of YouTube videos? Have you ever watched videos that discuss conspiracy theories? Do you believe any of these videos? How do you know if something on YouTube, or another social media platform, is rooted in fact or is simply fabricated?
- I do tend to watch quite a few Youtube videos in my spare time if there isn't much else to do. I have watched videos that discuss conspiracy theories for the sole purpose of entertainment, but over the years you see a lot of ways that the content creator tries to persuade or fabricate these theories into fact and it's concerning to see that people believe these theories to be completely factual from the Youtube video alone. In order to truly know if a conspiracy is true or not, you must research in order to find the source of the information presented, the person who made the story or reported the news, and the credibility of said theory or news in order to fully understand what is a fabrication or fact.
Why do you think conspiracy theories have become so popular on sites like YouTube?
- What makes me think about why conspiracy theories are so popular on sites like Youtube, is because of their tendency to give explanations for unsolved mysteries or ongoing investigations that have no factual conclusion, and the people make their own headcanon in order to entertain and in some cases, to spread misinformation with malicious purpose.
1- Do you watch a lot of YouTube videos? Have you ever watched videos that discuss conspiracy theories? Do you believe any of these videos? How do you know if something on YouTube, or another social media platform, is rooted in fact or is simply fabricated?
Indeed, I’m crazy about Youtube videos, and of course I have watched videos that discuss conspiracy theories. But I don’t bilieve on these videos or of these theories because I think that the hystory have still more more secrets and mysters.
2- Why do you think conspiracy theories have become so popular on sites like YouTube?
I think that conspiracy theories have become so popular on sites like Youtube, it’s because when peopoles doesn’t unserstand anything there is a problem for they. So they must find an answer even if this one is probably wrong. And
I spend quite a long time on Youtube (when I can), some of the videos I see are just for fun, or direct news, like BBC. I have an "alternative" account on Youtube just to see what's going on outside of my "algorithm", this way I can follow people/channels outside of my political, religious and moral bubble, and very often, on this account, there are some conspiracy-theory-related videos that appear, I don't believe on them, but it's important to know that there are many people who started looking for fun/curiosity and then turned into a total conscious dystopia of reality, that's very dangerous, especially on this scenario, that is fertile for post-truth, like never before.
I think that many of these theories can make many people paranoid or many others could be even disturbed or traumatised. This being said, is obvious that the effects that these conspiracy theories can cause, are unique to each person. Their consequences could variate on whether the intention on looking into this kind of things are just to entertain or if you actually look for answers. If someone does not know a thing bout the subject of the theory, it might be dangerous.
I believe conspiracy theories can be dangerous but it also depends on the person, There are plenty of people who watch conspiracy theory videos as a way of entertainment and find them interesting and they still know not to take them seriously and treat it as if it were a fact. Some of the theories out there may be harmless but there are also theories that can be harmful for example there are people out there who take it too far and believe conspiracies such as 911 being a hoax made by the government, and these kind conspiracies can be harmful and disrespectful to the victims and those who have experienced it.
I think it depends on the person. If you are a person that is superstitious or doesnt really believe that stuff its different, To people that believe in a bunch of superstitions, listening to a conspiracy theory changes their mindsets to make them question everything. As to people who dont believe they just think conspiracy theories are hoaxes and dont really let them faze them. I think they can be dangerous when its involving the whole word. Like whenever we have a conspiracy that the world is going to end it shakes people and makes people act differently. Other conspiracies that could be dangerous are the ones involving the government. People will believe anything that clicks with something. It just depends on the person and the conspiracy.
While many argue whether conspiracy theories are dangerous or not, I believe they can be in a way. There are many people who can be considered “hardcore believers” who will believe and act upon the theory. In some cases those who act upon the theory can not only injure themselves, but others in the process. death can be a possibility. However there are also people who follow conspiracy theories, but won’t act upon them, they simply just agree with the “idea” or possibly base their own theories off of others.
From reading this article on conspiracy theories and why they might be are dangerous, I personally think that having a major topic displaced into the world publicly people will take this topic very lightly it very heavily. For example, the YouTuber " Shane Dawson", uploads videos regarding conspiracy theories. With having is platform of having subscribers he can intrigue people or scare other in the matter of conspiracy theories. So with my own option I think is a dangerous topic of the world today.
I personally dont think conspiracy theories are dangerous. Theories by definition are not always solid fact, they are typically explained as a connection of "uncertain beliefs". Therefore it would not be the theory that dangerous, but the person and how they perceive it. If a person chooses to not only watch conspiracy theorists on youtube, but also believe them whole-heartedly (ultimately giving into paranoia), maybe they shouldnt be watching that sort of media. I think that the person should control what they watch, rather than the company.
Youtube is a private company, it should be able to recommend what videos it like, to an extent. Youtube generally caters to an impressionable audience and it can be dangerous to feed them fallacies presented as the truth. Yes, there are harmless conspiracy theories like there is no moon, or that Prince Charles is a vampire. Those statements could hardly lead someone to violence. But if someone grew up with or was presented with a statement like “Trial balloon for a coup d’état.”, an article from Yonatan Zunger where he states that Trump is using the presidency as a way to transfer power to an inner circle in Trump's favor. I'm sure you can see how problematic that could be, especially because he uses a mixture of valid fact and speculation to deliver a convincing theory. So if that kind of content is playing on Youtube, which has a much larger audience than Medium on which Mr. Zunger posts regularly, there will be plenty of people who will blindly believe it. Once you start to believe something is true or untrue it becomes easier to defend your beliefs. No one enjoys the feeling of someone saying your beliefs are wrong so naturally you'll fight to be "right". Youtube is a place where one can look up a video sharing your beliefs which can reinforce toxic theories. On a platform like Youtube where views and likes can mean everything, many are also susceptible to herd mentality. I believe most theories are harmless, but there certainly are exceptions to that statement.
Conspiracy theories are dangerous. Millions of people have been killed because of conspiracy theories. Many people think these theories are harmless and humorous. That gives permission to apps like youtube to be hotspots for this nonsense which becomes a problem. The widespread interest in conspiracy theories go up and down. When there is more conflict in the world people have more fear and get paranoid and so the interest in these theories go up. When the world is in a peaceful pause the paranoia and the demand for these wild theories go down. Today is the first day of Passover, and an example of the use of conspiracy theories to persecute groups is connected to this holiday. In the biblical story of Exodus, lamb's blood on a door warned the angel of death away, protecting the first born children of Jews. Then the angel of death sent by god proceeded to kill the first born children of the Egyptians whose doors stood bare with no mark of red. This was the worst and last plague sent by God, warning the pharaoh to let his people go. Jews celebrate this story to thank God for their freedom. A conspiracy theory arose that Jews use children's blood for their matzah. The Nazi regime used antisemitic conspiracy theories like this to rile up the public into hatred of the Jewish people, paving the way for the Holocaust. This is an example of the ways that conspiracy theories can be used to persecute groups of people.
In this article, Jack Nicas writes about YouTube's efforts to minimize the spread of conspiracy videos. Although I do believe conspiracy videos can change a persons mindset on certain things. Some might just watch those videos for pure entertainment even without believing in the things that are said about during them. But I agree that watching enough conspiracy theory videos can make you rethink what you thought you knew because I have watched a fare share and can say this has happened to me. There are a lot of curious adolescents that will obviously click on the video if it is in their YouTube recommendations. Therefore I would agree that YouTube minimizing conspiracy theory videos in peoples recommends is a good way to stop promoting mislead information.
I believe online conspiracies can be dangerous as a viewer of some conspiracies..Clearly manufactured ideas can greatly affect individuals.This deception can have unfriendly effects from making inadequate sentiments to impacting how an individual thinks or there opinions and decisions Personally I don’t believe in these ‘Conspiracy Theories” some are even really absurd to me. Although this may be true about me and a lot of people it isn’t true for everyone. Let's take the end of the world conspiracy once hearing about this conspiracy many people started “preparing” themselves, saying goodbye to their loved ones and it never happened when they said it would. My overall message from this example is that Conspiracies are dangerous in the way that they make people overreact and for,what is never to happen. Overall what conspiracy theories do is misinform the reader or viewer.Clearly manufactured hypotheses can greatly affect individuals.This deception can have unfriendly effects from making inadequate sentiments to impacting who an individual makes decisions in favor of or how they think.
Online conspiracy theories get your mind thinking a lot and can impact the way you think later on especially the ones on human existence. What people watch can also impact what they believe as to be true which can sometimes be false information. As it talks in the article, if youtube were to try to quiet is conspiracy theorists that could get them to go harder and blame the government for everything like saying “The government doesn’t want you to know this” as a youtube video which in the end would attract more viewers and misunderstandings. In “Can YouTube Quiet Its Conspiracy Theorists?” by Jack Nicas it states “The F.B.I. recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat.” This could show they are scared of the minds that are being filled with the false information and what they may be capable of spreading to others. I do think online conspiracy theories can be dangerous at times to a certain extent. They could get stories twisted up and kids watch these youtube videos everyday. Sometimes it can put fear in their minds and give them nightmares. So it is considered dangerous to the human mind and the world.
I believe some conspiracy theories can be dangerous because they can lead to misunderstandings. This article talks about how YouTube has a lot of videos on conspiracy theories. I think that this article is interesting because I like to watch videos about conspiracy theories.
While this article is of good intention, this argument overlooks that YouTube's suppression of other's beliefs would only empower theorists to attempt drastic action. First, theorists who acknowledge that they are not gaining traction on YouTube because of the change in algorithm will merely shift their attention to other platforms like Facebook and Instagram. For example, the Flat Earth Society page on Facebook has over 224 thousand followers, with followers rising every day. Secondly, the echo chambers created by confirmation bias mean that the people who are already interested in conspiracy theories will remain interested, and they will only attract more as they interact with others. While a reduction in recommendations may seem to help, it will only shield others from the theories and trap the theorists inside their echo chamber. Finally, the article disparages theorists and perpetuates the idea that their beliefs of the world are less valid than others. While this statement is accurate, it remains that the disparaging nature of the article and its connections to YouTube only validate the conspiracy theorists' claims by presenting the perception that large companies, like Google, have "something to hide." Because of this, YouTube should not suppress conspiracy theorists as it only allows them to spread across the internet with new proof of their beliefs.
As a curious adolescent, I often find myself scrolling through endless lists of videos Youtube when the day doesn't seem to pass by fast enough. Although I have found myself fascinated and bewildered by conspiracy theory videos Youtube, I don't usually take them seriously or treat them as facts.
The truth is, there is no set in stone way to filter out cold hard facts from fabricated information. The truth of reality can only be given by a source directly from the event being conspired about; however, the reason conspiracies are formed is because of this lack of communication between the public and suspicious events/individuals, leaving gaps or holes in important information that conspiracists fill with their imagination.
A general way of differentiating conspiracies from reality is similar to the golden rule of drama/gossip: if you didn't hear it from the source, then who's to say it's true?
Conspiracy Theories can indirectly have a negative impact on the attitude and the amount of trust in our society if not properly dealt with. Especially content that is posted using online platforms like YouTube where it can be accessed by anyone around the world for free, it is extremely difficult to filter out content that could be considered misinformation by removing them from YouTube’s recommendation algorithm. Based on the topic of these videos that rapidly attract the attention of many viewers, they have the potential to be harmless or very dangerous. On one hand conspiracies that focus on the current and possible events that took place in a popular story, TV show, or video game are harmless. They are purely made to entertain and satisfy the curious nature that we all possess as human beings. On the other hand there are conspiracies against the government on whether or not they are keeping secrets from the public. A very popular topic among these misleading videos is whether the events of 9/11 were orchestrated by the government. This may lead the members of the public to demonize their image of the government and lead them to take action that can put themselves or others in danger. With billions of hours of video uploaded each week, it becomes a monumental task for YouTube to identify misleading videos from the rest of its content without incorrectly taking action against the harmless videos or YouTube Creators that only focus on entertaining the audience.
Nicas' article addresses YouTube's efforts to curb the publication and recommendation of conspiracy theory videos. By describing YouTube’s changes in algorithm and policy, as well as stating the detrimental effects of conspiracy theories, Nicas directly shows how YouTube is trying to put an end to these videos.
Nicas addresses how said videos are misinforming users and perpetuating harmful ideas. Conspiracy theories, which are generally based off of faulty or no evidence, can induce harmful ideas and target certain groups or individuals. In extreme cases, they can incite violence. One popular example is the conspiracy that the Earth is actually flat, and the US government is trying to hide this. This theory, which seems superficial and harmless, induces blame upon the government. Another more extreme example is the Hanau shootings in Germany in February 2020. This not only shows how conspiracy theories conduce violence, but also how they incline individuals to form extreme political thoughts. Conspiracy theories are harmful enough alone, and having them publicized on sites like YouTube further exacerbates the harm they can do. YouTube has the obligation to remove harmful conspiracy videos, and should do so for the benefit of others. As technology evolves and progresses, companies need to take more responsibility as information, including misinformation, becomes more widely available.
I have watched a few videos about conspiracy theories and while I think it's interesting to learn about someone else's ideas, it can be dangerous. Conspiracy theorists use the internet as a platform to explore and share ideas even if they are not rooted in any sort of factual evidence. Many people are not informed enough to discern fact from fiction when it comes to conspiracy theories and theorists use the internet to take advantage of that. Besides misinformation though, conspiracy theories present a bigger danger-discrediting peoples experiences. Take 9/11 conspiracy theories for example. There have been many videos made on YouTube expressing different thoughts about what happened that day. However, the makers of those videos never explored the evidence that proved those ideas were false. Viewers of these videos then walk away with ideas that 9/11 was faked or a government set up. This discredits the first hand accounts from that day and dishonors the memory of everyone who experienced it and knows what happened. That is why it is important for YouTube to monitor the videos they recommend, because while the theories presented can be harmless and fun, they can also be disrespectful and dangerous, and unfortunately many people do not know how to differentiate the two.
While I do not use the internet a lot, when I do it's never for conspiracy videos. It's really not hard to tell when something is true or not. A lot of false videos have the most obvious photo shops ever. And after a while, theorists get called out and everyone knows they're fake.
Honestly, I don't mind awesome scientific facts, or weird mysteries. But I do mind straight up lies. I don't waste time trying to figure them out, and I definitely do not believe them... or atleast not the ones that are obviously fake. I do belong to a superstitious family that also believes in afterlife and souls, but not really things having to do with government or general theories.
Conspiracy theories are fun, but only if they have proof. They can be extremely dangerous though. For example, if theorists are telling us that the government is bad, while it is actually trying to work for us we won't listen to the government, possibly leading to crimes and such.
These theories have blown up because people do not educate themselves. Every one that pays attention in history knows that the Egyptians built the pyramids.
YouTube makes a "For you page" or "Home page" based off of your search history, previously watched videos, and who you follow. If any of the things above have to do with conspiracy theories, then YouTube will recommend more. If lots of people watch conspiracy theories, then they will keep getting recommended creating an everlasting cycle. So they shouldn't recommend conspiracies.
As various forms of mass communication get popularized, many become more aware that 99% of us live in the shell of other men’s ambitions, that our society was constructed by the top 1% for the top 1%; therefore, individuals disillusioned with this system, seek escape in conspiracies. Youtube, however, is not a cause of this, but is one of many conduits for such escape. Many other forms of expression in the media display this desire to question what’s around us. The Joe Rogan Experience had Edward Snowden on as a guest in October 2019. Snowden’s claim of our government using our devices to spy on us seems like a farce, but his proof is indisputable, he was permanently exiled from America. The U.S. would not react this way unless they have something to hide. He is evidence that our society is not created in our best interest. With more and more stories such as his gaining traction, it makes sense that more and more people are questioning the foundations on which their worlds are built upon. Your article generalizes conspiracy theories and with an entirely bias perspective claims them as forms of “misinformation,” when in reality most conspiracies exist simply to counteract misinformation that has been fed to us. Your article is the exact reason why conspiracies gain popularity, people are seeking sources of truth on the fringe because the mainstream truth might as well be normalized propaganda. You simply dismiss with a subjective mind, instead of finding the objective truth.
1
@Aidan Roche The Joe Rogan Exeriance is the number one most listened to podcast according to Apple Podcasts as of March 11, 2020. I wanted to include that but didn't have enough space.
1
Conspiracy theories can be very dangerous, if they are believed. Many people can read an article, or watch a video of a conspiracy theory and not think twice about it. They are able to recognize truth versus lies so they learn about these theories for entertainment. However, there are some people who cannot distinguish truth from fantasy and they lead their lives around conspiracy theories. In todays media, 'fake news' or slander can also affect people and change their minds about important things. Being able to distinguish conspiracy theories from fact is very important, and if you can not do this, it could affect other things in people's lives.
Conspiracy theories can be dangerous and misleading. I use youtube a lot, so I am thankful that they are limiting the theories and rumors on their site, even tho they are usually watched for fun or entertainment purposes. Depending on the theory these videos can be dangerous or harmless. Overall I think that these theories can cause damage and distrust among our peers.
Conspiracy theories can be dangerous and cause serious distrust amongst the people. I have viewed a few conspiracy theories. On one hand they force you to think outside of the box and do your own research. You may learn more about a specific topic than you ever knew before. I have found that these theories are usually incorrect and used to stir up division for political or religious purposes. I am thankful that YouTube is limiting the content because right now in our current situation true information is necessary.
I watch YouTube a lot, and a portion of the content I watch is conspiracy theory videos. I watch conspiracy videos because they’re interesting and at times spooky. However, I don’t find any truth to them, although I must admit I do believe one, which is the Mandela effect. Other than that, I only watch conspiracy theory videos for entertainment purposes. I am not really concerned with people believing conspiracies as they are very convincing and at times can make sense. However, I do think they can be dangerous, especially when certain conspiracy theories involve or talk about the government. In my opinion conspiracy theory videos have become so popular because people enjoy the mystery and to what extent the story is true.
Conspiracy Theories have been long-standing parts of society as far back as we know. Before people believed in the 9/11 attacks being a hoax created or perpetuated to invade the Middle East for their oil and resources, people such as the famous Francis E. Dec believed in the takeover of the world by a worldwide communist computer gods which controlled us with their Frankenstein mind radios and that our brains were actually on the dark side of the moon and were transmitted remotely to our shells which were the most advanced types of robots available. This is just a scratch into his works, which were mass mailed to random shipping addresses across the world. This example shows that conspiracy theories have been around for quite a long time. Conspiracy theories always have the ability to become dangerous, if one believes in all the thoughts and explanations. I read these conspiracy theories because they always let you get an insight into how the mind processes information in different ways. It’s also very entertaining to watch and see these claims.
Conspiracy Theories have been long-standing parts of society as far back as we know. Before people believed in the 9/11 attacks being a hoax created or perpetuated to invade the Middle East for their oil and resources, people such as the famous Francis E. Dec believed in the takeover of the world by a worldwide communist computer gods which controlled us with their Frankenstein mind radios and that our brains were actually on the dark side of the moon and were transmitted remotely to our shells which were the most advanced types of robots available. This is just a scratch into his works, which were mass mailed to random shipping addresses across the world. This example shows that conspiracy theories have been around for quite a long time. I read these conspiracy theories because they always let you get an insight into how the mind processes information in different ways. It’s also very entertaining to watch and see these claims. I think that even today on Youtube, information such as this should be allowed, but we as people should inform ourselves on how to detect what is real and what is not. A great example of a theory is the representation of an argument as a table that can be held up by a person’s evidence that confirms their beliefs. Anytime one leg is knocked down or proven false, there will always be another to take its place. Youtube has made a stream of content already in the form of recommendations to help boost profit through ad money and traffic.
Conspiracy theories always have the potential to become dangerous. My mom likes to say that “a person can be smart but people are stupid.” This applies to conspiracy theories. You as an individual could believe that conspiracy theories are false and fun videos to watch on your free time. But when groups of people join together in search of the Illuminati headquarters under the Denver Airport, then you start to have problems. Although knowledge can be powerful misinformation can be dangerous. I’m sure there may be conspiracy theories that are realistic or maybe even correct but “searching out the truth” can lead to mass histeria.
I think conspiracy theories can be both. I believe they can be harmless or very dangerous. I've seen some conspiracy theory videos and although I don't think much of it or about them I think if people think too deeply into them it can become an obsession. A lot of people around the world are torn about conspiracy theories. Some people love them and believe and study them and other people think it's all fake and made up. They do make you think deeper about things and can you realize something you haven't realized before but I do think they can be very dangerous.
@Ashlyn Barnes I think some conspiracies are factual but I agree that they force you to think a little more.
So personally, I don't believe in that kind of conspiracy theories, but I find that engrossing.
Actually, I think it's dangerous enough because if credulous kids comes across such an article they can be affected and become conspiratorialist.
I do like reading these theories occasionally and they make you think.
Conspiracy theories can be dangerous and if you want to confront them you should not be too easily influenced.
For me, conspiracy theories are really serious.
We like to discuss with my family about that, we debate together, and most of the time, I'm right of course! I think they believe I'm crazy but I'm not.
All the geniuses have been taken for crazy. The society tought they were crazy. But me, I believe them.
I'm sure that our socitey by the way is governed by aliens. I've already met some persons who saw aliens in their garden.
Of course I've never seen any aliens at the back of my garden and yet I've been searching. But I think they know I know they exist, so they hide so as not to frighten those who don't yet believe in them.
So, I'm sure about one theory: don't believe conspiracy theories!
I don't necessarily believe conspiracy theories themselves are dangerous. I just think that when people really study them and analyze them they can start to become a little dangerous because they start looking for ways to prove their right when in reality they won't simply face that they're wrong. I find it interesting that when youtube said that conspiracy theory video analytics dropped they suddenly spiked back up again. I actually think depending on how far you go with the theory it can really start to mess with your head and in severe cases completely change your life. I don't personally believe in many conspiracy theories and the ones I do think are possible actually have some evidence and reason to back them up.
Even though I don't necessarily believe in conspiracy theories I do like to read them on occasion due to the fact that they make you think. Some of the theories that are completely outlandish and would be pretty hard to believe do catch my attention. I don’t tend to watch conspiracy YouTube videos but occasionally one will seem odd enough to merit notice. I think that conspiracy theories are fun to look at and they can be interesting to think about. Unless people actually start believing in these theories, I don’t think they can do much harm. Overall, conspiracy theories are become even more interesting in the past few years and are capable of making you think about how life actually works.
I enjoy watching and reading conspiracy theories. They are intresting and a cool way to see into someone else's mind and get a different point of view on something. I don't believe that theories are dangerous. Most people don't take them seriously it more of a joke. I'd like to say the majority of people know when things probably are not real, like Bigfoot, or the government faking the moon landing. It's only when people take it to seriously or don't get that it's a joke. This usually happens when "serious" people get on them like reputable reporters or the government. I think that we should let conspiracy theorist have their fun. We wouldn't want them to think we're conspiring against them for no reason.
While I am not a strong believer in conspiracy theory’s I do like to read some of them because it gets your mind thinking. There are some theory’s that are completely outrageous and insane that can be pretty hard to believe but some do catch my attention. I don’t tend to watch conspiracy YouTube videos but occasionally one will catch my attention. I normally see conspiracy theories on my Instagram explore page and some of them can be believable if you really think about it. A lot of times by using common sense it can be easy to tell if a theory is fabricated or not. I think that conspiracy theory’s are fun to look at and they are really Interesting to think about. Unless someone is a true believer in these theories, I don’t think they can do much harm. Overall, conspiracy theories are become pretty popular in the past few years and are fun to read and make you think about how life actually works.
Conspiracy theories are not dangerous. Many different people have ideas on what they think happen on a topic that is controversial. Examples are: Tupac is alive; Area 51 has aliens; Bigfoot is real and so many more. These theories are harmless. People should be able to think what they want and if they want to share with others, they have the right to do so. Theories have become a part of the American culture. It gives people something to think about. Theories give people something to do when they want to look into it. Some people who try and discover if these are real make it into a job. There are television shows about conspiracy theories and people trying to prove them right or wrong. For example, the Animal Channel has a series called 'Finding Bigfoot.' Everybody has their own thoughts on why they believe these theories are real whether it is from reported sightings to evidence the think to be true. People who don't believe in these theories believe others are crazy but everyone has their own opinion.
I watch a lot of youtube videos, and conspiracy theories of all kinds always show up on my recommended and trending pages. With these types of theories, it is often easy to tell whether they're fake or not by just using common sense, but I think that these videos become popular mainly because they make you think, and they're simply fun to discuss with others, even if they're not exactly plausible. I'm not really worried about people believing in these theories whatsoever, I tend to not take the people who believe in these theories or the theories themselves seriously, and they never seem to cause true harm, they're just very interesting. In regards to recommendations, I always watch videos that are recommended by youtube, I can find channels or videos that I really like much faster. From my experience, youtube tends to recommend certain videos to a multitude of people at a time as well, so whenever I click on a recently recommended video I'll always see comments asking why the video was recommended to them. I think although youtube is partially responsible for these things, especially if they're over the top with their theories, overall it's up to the viewers themselves to decide whether they're true or not, as these sorts of things will always appear in our lives, and people should be able to make accurate judgements on their own.
As a socialist, I believe that “conspiracy theories” or as I like to call them, questioning everything, are important. Of course, many theories are simply outrageous and lack evidence, but how many truly pose a large threat to the people (not the bourgeoisie)? Allowing their existence is essential to a healthy society too, not just as a form of abstract and outside the box discussion, but to uncover things too. For example, the Panama Papers, the primary breakthrough proving that American (and non-American) bourgeoisie were offshoring their assets to avoid taxes and government regulation? This was a conspiracy theory and its existence allowed this breakthrough, which bettered our country, even though nothing was done about it. This isn’t even to mention that censoring conspiracy theorists would reinforce their position, as why censor a bunch of crazies unless they are onto something? In conclusion, conspiracy theories are not dangerous, but rather beneficial to maintaining and bettering a society.
1
Personally, I do not watch many videos on YouTube, but I have heard of some of the conspiracy theories that people post on the website. I think that false conspiracy theories can be harmful because they can cause people to believe something that isn’t true. With the help of YouTube recommendations, these conspiracy theories can spread if they are not stopped by the algorithm. I don’t believe the conspiracy theories that I have heard of if they don’t have concrete evidence or if they haven’t been checked by a trusted source. I think it’s best to assume that conspiracy theories are false until proven with research and data that they are true.
While reading this article, it was interesting to see how the amount of time that people spent watching the videos on false theories from recommendations had dropped by fifty percent. I was even more surprised to find out that the watchtime had jumped up again right after YouTube thought they had succeeded. This article makes me wonder what YouTube is currently doing to eliminate false conspiracy theories.
@Anna Kilpatrick It's really good to think that conspiracy theories are false until proven true. I think that false conspiracy theories can cause chaos if people think they are true and YouTube should try harder to fact check conspiracy theories before changing their algorithm.
I do watch a lot of videos on YouTube and I have seen some conspiracy videos. I know if a video is fake or not by looking up the information or whats in the video is some well known fake conspiracy. I think that conspiracy theory are for the most part not that dangerous because most of the time you can tell. Most of the time we joke about how far fetched and obviously fake some conspiracy theories are. I think the conspiracy theories on YouTube are so popular because it is a free to post videos and all you need is your phone to record it. I have watched many videos that have come up in my recommended and I think that recommended videos are very impotent because that is how I found some of my favorite channels. I think it is both the users and YouTubes responsibility when watching or recommending videos because people should be able to know if something is fake but YouTube should also help because some videos are really hard to determine whether or not they are fake.
@Conner Kelley I also have watched a fair amount of these types of videos. I don’t really take them that seriously, but it is just fun to see what far fetched things people are saying. I agree with you that it is the viewer’s responsibility to determine what is fake and what is not. You can choose what to believe. However, I think YouTube would have a difficult time proving or disproving conspiracy theories as well.
I watch a lot of conspiracy videos on youtube such as Shane Dawson's videos and they are very entertaining. I love watching these videos and thinking deeply about them because it makes me feel like I'm sorta living in a movie. They are very entertaining but it's important to realize that most of them are just for that, entertaining. Not all of them are real.
I do think that conspiracy theories can be dangerous.
Like the article says it's bad to give out misleading information such as the earth is flat, climate change is fake, or the government planned 911. Because people might then believe it's true and spread the information. It's important to fact check fake news. Because there is so much out there and if you believe everything you hear that could be dangerous to you and others.
In the world today, the internet is one of the main things that sways peoples’ opinions. If a famous celebrity or youtuber said that the world was flat, many others would actually be influenced by this opinion, even if the reasons were complete nonsense. Conspiracy theory videos on Youtube used to be videos meant purely for a creepy sort of entertainment, since they seem so ridiculous but possibly true at the same time. Now though, the theories on the app are becoming more and more serious, and most of them are involved with the government. The way the videos present these theories make them seem so scarily real that people completely believe them, with no further proof. So, I do agree with this article that some conspiracies can be dangerous online if they just get everyone more scared than they should be.
When I’ve watched some of these videos before, I have found myself almost believing some because of how convincing they make them sound. I also notice in some videos that the Youtubers almost try to get people more scared about the theories by overreacting about them and talking about how crazy it is that they seem completely real, even if the proof doesn’t show much. That goes along with how they could become dangerous, if a famous influencer is saying that they believe the theory. When people watch this, they will most likely be just as freaked out as the influencer.
@Charlotte Saxton I agree with you on how the conspiracy videos seem completely real and how people believe them. I think Youtube should make content creators put disclaimers on how they are just stories rather than real events based on "facts." That way it's seen as entertainment rather than just falsely educating people.
I used to and still watch a lot of youtube videos. When I was 10 or 11, I used to watch a lot of downright harmful conspiracy theories, one theory I follow is about how the climate change isn’t real, to me now, a 15 year old teenager, it’s downright stupid, but for 10 year old me, I believe every single thing the youtuber said and I didn’t know what’s right and what’s wrong, I knew it’s illogical, but the youtuber told it in a really convincing way. It shatters the ground of reality and makes you think illogical. My brother also experienced the same thing, he used to deeply believe that the moon landing was fake and we haven’t really landed on the moon. Things like these are illogical but it is convincing and makes you feel superior. I think most people believe conspiracy theories because it makes them feel superior, they think they know things most people don’t, and people like to feel superior hence why conspiracy theories are really popular on youtube. The feeding algorithm also makes the situation worse. It feeds us what we want even if it is untrue. It also makes the spread easier because people keep clicking on it. Some conspiracy theories on youtube are harmless and they made it clear that it’s just for entertainment purposes, but there are still a lot of harmful conspiracy theories on youtube that cause a lot of misinformations.
I think the reason that conspiracy theories have become so popular on youtube is because people like to laugh at stuff like that. For example it is funny to see people argue that the world is flat and other dumb conspiracy. Another reason is to see the arguments and see if they actually make sense because sometimes conspiracy aren’t actually dumb. Another reason is a lot of conspiracy become memes and in order to stay relevant and up to date on the memes people watch these conspiracy. For these reasons people watch conspiracy videos making them popular.
I believe in many conspiracy theories. I used to get caught up watching hours and hours of videos about conspiracy theories when I hadn't even planned to. There are a ton of conspiracy theories and one of the hardest parts for me is figuring out what to believe and what's fake. For instance, one of the most believed conspiracy theories is that extraterrestrials exist. Although this has no evidence behind it tons of people believe it. But the main thing I think is crazy is that there's no evidence of any extra terrestrials, yet if you search up "are aliens real" on youtube you get thousands of results with what they say is hard proof that they exist when really it's not in the slightest. I personally think the hardest part behind conspiracy theories is that you should only watch them if it's from a reliable source or can back up it's facts, otherwise it's just people making up whatever they want
One of the main reasons why youtube has blown up from the past 10 years is because people are able to share their opinions and views regarding topics that are often uncomfortable to discuss in person. Conspiracy Theories have always impressed me as it enables you to linger in the details and find answers to questions. I know many youtube pages that do work hard to present the most accurate information they can find to their audience. While majority of the other pages consists of inaccurate data and no citations of sources, however, surprising these videos end up getting the most amount of views. Clickbait- content whose main purpose is to attract attention- is often a tool used by majority of youtubers to gain views. This technique not only disappoints the viewers but also spreads false information. We are also aware of the fact that youtube sensors certain topics that are discussed by youtubers on their videos. I believe this is because there are certain things the media doesn’t want us, moreover despite youtube being a free platform for expressing speech, people are limited to certain topics which is questionable. In today’s modern world, we are all exposed to Infinite information but its call to decide what is the truth.
I watch youtube often. I sometimes watch videos about conspiracy theories by Shane Dawson, a popular youtuber. In his videos he states that he is not intending to imply that any of the theories are true, but that they could be. I love to think of the possibilities this world has. Thinking it’s not always at it seems is so cool to me. I like to get behind them and explore opportunities. Conspiracy theories, in my viewpoint, get people to think in ways they haven’t before. Yes they are dangerous if they are presented with wrong information, but most of the biggest theories aren’t. For a theory to really impact a viewer, it has to have no faults, or line of questioning. If a theory has too many plot holes, then it’s just a story, but if there is factual evidence or just coincidences for certain theories that make them seem slightly plausible, it’s interesting to see things from a different perspective.
Personally, I feel that I used to watch a lot of YouTube videos, around an average of one to two hours per day. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve drifted more into Netflix and less into YouTube. Yes, I have even watched documentaries discussing conspiracy theories. I find them very interesting although they may not all be based on factual evidence. Some are very convincing and seem to be supported by solid facts but on further investigation, half of the time that so called ‘facts’ turn out to be false or fabricated. For me, personally, I view conspiracy theories as strictly entertainment purpose and not as a source of fact or news.
1
@Hailie Woolmer
It is good to know whether or not the information is factual. So many kids and adults watch YouTube and Netflix these days, many of them believe every word that they may hear. Although I agree conspiracy theories are mostly for entertainment, I believe they can be dangerous to some who do not understand or think everything is factual.
@Hailie Woolmer I totally agree. Even when they seem like they are definite facts, most of the time they aren't. It's so hard to know what to believe even in these documentaries like the ones on Netflix aren't always correct. If you want the truth and real proof just about every time, then the news is a way better place to go to as conspiracy videos are just fun to let our minds wonder and play what ifs in our head.
@Hailie Woolmer I agree with the notion that conspiracy theories are for fun because they are often fabricated.
I personally have watched more than 20 YouTube videos a day and I have seen many theory or theory reviewing channels on YouTube where they just talk about different theories they found online and whether they think it's real or not. I usually just watch those videos for fun, so I don’t usually believe in these theories. I really can’t tell if something on social media is fabricated or fact so I usually just don’t believe in any of them. I think that conspiracy theories have been getting popular on social media sites like YouTube because there are the few people that actually believe in these conspiracy theories and the conspiracy theory YouTube channels are making money off of the people who believe in these theories subscribing to these channels.
I think it is very important to understand how to determine whether or not a certain video is credible. The only real way to decide is through common sense. If the person sounds educated and confident then that person could be considered as credible. I rarely watch YouTube, but when I do, I try my best to find a trustworthy video that will help me gain the most factual information on whatever I am trying to learn. I definitely think Conspiracy theories can be dangerous. In the world we live in today, rumors spread like wildfires and it is important to stay away from untrue statements. One thing discussed in this article is about how YouTube created conspiracy theories regarding how the Earth is flat! When you read this you think, “well obviously that's fake and untrue” but you would be surprised the amount of people that believe it!
I watch youtube often. I sometimes watch videos about conspiracy theories by Shane Dawson, a popular youtuber. In his videos he states that he is not intending to imply that any of the theories are true, but that they could be. Some of the the theories contain ideas that are absurd and unreasonable, such as bigfoot, or that there is a passage to hell on the french/Swiss border. Sometimes it can be easy to spot a crazy conspiracy theory because of how far stretched it is, but some are more difficult to know if they are true or not. An example of a conspiracy theory that is believable is the theory that JFK’s assassanation was an inside job.
@Isadora Monteith I think that some theories are very far fetched and shouldn't be taken seriously and I agree with you on that. I love watching Shane's videos and I think that it is very interesting to see that he puts disclaimers at the beginning of the video and other influencers do no. I think that this is a very important thing to include in your videos because some individuals may not see that most of these theories are made up. With thinking being said, I do believe in some conspiracies and I think that it is a lot of fun looking into some theories to just see other people take on them. I don't think that our entertainment should be taken away because others don’t know the truth from theory.
I watch a lot of YouTube and there really is no way to verify information except for the occasional link in the description. I think common sense would be a way to mitigate the spread of misinformation. For example: when YouTube said they reduced the misinformation, people surged to the site and caused it to rise. I'm no software engineer and thus don't know how hard it is to generate random videos that also fit criteria so I would say that to a certain extent they need to control the spread of false info to keep people from coming to conclusions.
I think that to a certain extent that some online conspiracies are not a good thing to be spreading. Some of them are harmless and should matter all that much. But there are people out there that don’t understand what a theory /rumor is and what a true fact is. Some people like to watch conspiracy videos just for entertainment and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. I personally love to watch Shane Dawson on YouTube and he does lots of conspiracy videos. Some of them are so insane and such a stretch that you can easily tell when they are made up and not logical. Here are some theories that my friends and I will talk about and we actually believe some of them.
I think these videos have become so popular because some people are just bored of the regular news and such going on now. People will start to search up some things that interest them and some things to get the mind wandering. I don’t think that it is very fair for YouTube to be taking down videos from recommendations that are conspiracies. I do understand that some of them are so crazy that it could cause the world to panic and that isn’t something that needs to be spread. But I think that some things need to be left alone if people enjoy watching them.
@Isabella Fabiano What you wrote was very well said. I do think that conspiracy theories are harmless and you can easily tell which ones are ridiculous. I am also a fan of Shane Dawson and I think he does a really good job of displaying conspiracy theories.
I find it funny how often I find myself reading articles or watching conspiracy theories and almost believing them. They’re just so believable. I wasn’t surprised when I read the article, and it said that clearly false conspiracy videos on Youtube are the most watched videos. It’s intriguing; people are interested!!
To make a conspiracy theory, you just have to have information to back it up. And thanks to the news, you can find false information all over the news. The news will do anything to scare us and work everyone up. I think they’re dangerous, but not in the way you might think.
Online conspiracy theories have the ability to just scare people. And sometimes not even theories, but just the news. Just the other day I saw a meme talking about the coronavirus. It was a picture of Scooby Doo about to unmask someone dangerous. The caption said “Alright, Corona, let’s see what makes you so dangerous.” When he unmasked it, it was nothing but pictures of different news stations in the country. The news is scaring people for no reason.
I honestly just think the news is more dangerous than conspiracy theories.
I watch a lot of videos on YouTube, more than I watch TV. Of these, conspiracy theories are usually a hoax. Although they tend to be obviously incorrect, some do really give a varied viewpoint on something with the person’s insight. If the theory has some sort of reason instead of just bringing it up out of nowhere, it should be looked into in order to, at the very least, appease the theorists. I usually watch the theories for fun until it is verified by a trusted source. I do believe some conspiracy theories before they're analyzed and reported on, but it’s up to the person watching to determine if it’s true along with YouTube trying to weed out the identifiable misinformation or badly supported theories.
I personally do not watch a lot of YouTube or follow many conspiracy theories but I am still familiar with some popular theories. While I don’t believe majority are real I do think that some are kind of interesting to think about. These theories are all fun and games until some people take them to seriously which is what causes them to be seen as a threat. All in all people have the freedom of speech to say whatever they want to and if they believe that the earth is flat then there is nothing wrong with them sharing their personal opinion on the internet. People just need to be aware of the difference between the theories that science disprove and are solely beliefs.
Conspiracy theories will always be around. Humans are naturally curious and conspiracy theories serve as a way to explore the knowledge known taking it steps further. These steps then have people swear by the theory whether it is completely ludicrous or has some profound truth to it. Which brings up the topic is it okay to believe in conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories are merely a way of satisfying the human nature of wondering/thinking about things which is why Youtube continues to support channels that publish these theories because it leaves individuals coming back for more or in this case watching video after video. Youtube promises it's "limit[ing] the spread of videos that could misinform users in harmful ways", but whatever brings in the cash is the path they take. Therefore, it is up to the moral character of the individual to determine if the conspiracy theory presented in the video is dangerous or posses a possible threat and then relay that to local law enforcement agencies or even the FBI (if necessary). After all, these theories serve as a way to satisfy our ever wandering mind and usually are made to be funny or entertaining never as a threat to security, but is ultimately up to creator and watcher to decide.
I have been known to watch a lot of conspiracy videos on youtube because of a catchy title or to learn more about something I had already heard of. I've seen some theories that seem convincing, but have never fully believed in one. I think it's fun to hear other people's perspectives on things we may not have answers to. Some conspiracies are more far fetched than others, for example the flat earth theory. I believe this is what YouTube should be most worried about regarding the popularity of conspiracy theories. People who watch these videos, especially young people, might believe the false information being told to them rather than knowing what's actually real. It's hard to keep yourself from hearing false information because there are a lot of people on the internet that just want to stir the pot for people between real and fake news. On sites like YouTube, people publish what they want without real facts to act as a backbone backing them up. This is a problem because this leads people to false conclusions and if what they watch is the first thing they hear about a topic, they are more easily lead to believing that information.
@Katherine Lennon I agree I think this is also why they should check your age before allowing you to view such content.
I watch a lot of conspiracy theories by Shane Dawson ( A famous YouTuber ). Some of the conspiracies just seem a little outrageous, such as when people thought the world was going to end when the Mayan calendar “ended” on December 21, 2012. There are conspiracy I certainly think are real and are really interesting. A conspiracy with the plane crash of MH370 really caught my eye when I heard about it. It was about a plane that mysteriously disappeared when there was a plane crash. To this day, people still do not know what happened to that certain plane. There have been some conspiracies about the Bermuda Triangle. I was on a cruise once and was able to stop at Bermuda as one of the tourist stops. We had heard a lot of locals tell us about things that have happened there and how some of them were not proved but seem pretty legit to them. I personally believe in them, but everything can't be proven unless you experienced it.
@Phebe Truong What makes you believe in all the stories you hear? It doesn’t make sense to me to believe in a story that hasn’t been proven true, unless of course it’s a fictional story. People can always come up with what their thoughts and opinions are about an incident that has occurred, such as the plane you mentioned. But that plane you mentioned I don’t believe it’s possible for it to just disappear. They may not be able to find it because it went down in the ocean, or it broke apart into so many pieces that it’s scattered all over the ground, or wherever it went down someone could have found it and stripped it of all the still working parts not leaving much behind. And when you travel locals are always going to want to talk and tell stories to make you more interested but in the end in my experience they just are looking for a tip or for you to go buy merchandise related to the story they told you to make a profit.
Conspiracy theories, those videos on social media that entertainingly discuss mysterious predictions, or theories, about things. It’s easy to say videos like these can become so captivating to watch, with every second of the video containing thrilling evidence on why the theory may be correct. A conspiracy theorist a lot of my friends know about is YouTuber, Shane Dawson. Dawson has made theories that I’m sure you have heard of. For example, his theory addressing why he believes Chuck E. Cheese “recycles” their pizza. This inspired many viewers of the video to spread the word about Chuck E. Cheese via social media, such as TikTok. This caused a lot of outrage, and just goes to show that conspiracy theories can be dangerous and affect people and businesses. That is exactly why conspiracy theories should be watched for entertainment, but should always not be taken the most seriously because there is no way to tell if the theory is true, which is exactly why its called a theory.
I believe that conspiracy theories are popular on YouTube due to the unawareness of the viewers. When someone does not know as to how something appears or disappeared, they look for other people’s opinions. These opinions show on YouTube, so the viewer watches it to become more knowledgeable. They are not 100% sure if the content is correct, but they do know it’s a way to look at the “situation”. I usually watch conspiracy theories for entertainment. When I’m bored and scroll down the recommended page, I normally find these conspiracy theories.
Headline: How Aware Are You?
I do watch quite a bit of youtube videos. I have watched some conspiracy theories, they just amuse me. I think it is your personal judgement to decide if they are true or false. Conspiracy theories are so far fetched. I watch them because there are so many questions left about the situation and the possible answers are just interesting and sometimes it is cool to see what people come up with.
I am not concerned about conspiracy theories, I will research them just for plain amusement. I know some people with a true bias. It seems like this could be useless. First of all the odds of these being true are probably about .001%. Secondly, if the government did make these fake cover ups they obviously put billions of dollars into it. They did this to keep us safe and our daily lives on track, no country needs to know that their moon landing was fake.
I think these conspiracies have become so popular because there is an empty void in all of the situations. People will find the most crazy but logical stories.
I think these recommendations can get out of hand, usually it seems to recommend a video from a genre from a few months back. I don’t care about the videos I watched last month. Another thing is the viewer should be 80% responsible for deciding if they are real or not. If they are unable to identify true and factual videos they should just delete the app. This is social media and false information will never go away.
The definition of a “conspiracy theory” is a belief that some covert yet influential organization is responsible for certain events. Once youtube, the influential platform was created, some users decided that conspiracy theory videos were a good way to attract viewers. The Youtuber Shane Dawson, built his career up off of these conspiracy videos talking about, and even creating theories all the way from 9/11 to Disney. For almost a decade, this is what he was known for. However, when Youtube created their new algorithm to remove conspiracy videos off of the viewers recommendations page, he stopped making those videos. He hasn’t completely quit youtube but usually only releases a dozen videos a year, at most. Conspiracy theories, in my viewpoint, get people to think in ways they haven’t before. Yes they are dangerous if they are presented with wrong information, but most of the biggest theories aren’t. For a theory to really impact a viewer, it has to have no faults, or line of questioning. If a theory has too many plot holes, then it’s just a story, but if there is factual evidence or just coincidences for certain theories that make them seem slightly plausible, it’s interesting to see things from a different perspective. However, the fact that youtube was worried about the impact of these videos makes me think of a theory myself. Are they trying to protect us from false truths, or deny the factual truths being shared?
I personally have watched more than 20 YouTube videos a day and I have seen many theory or theory reviewing channels on YouTube where they just talk about different theories they found online and whether they think it's real or not. I usually just watch those videos for fun, so I don’t usually believe in these theories. I really can’t tell if something on social media is fabricated or fact so I usually just don’t believe in any of them. I think that conspiracy theories have been getting popular on social media sites like YouTube because there are the few people that actually believe in these conspiracy theories and the conspiracy theory YouTube channels are making money off of the people who believe in these theories subscribing to these channels.
Although conspiracy theories can be interesting, I think nowadays some are taken too far. They can almost be like rumors, spreading and being changed along the way. I feel people tend to confuse theories with facts. Personally I think some conspiracy theories are interesting while others definitely creep me out.
I think that for the most part videos about conspiracy theories are meant to entertain us rather than to spread misinformation. However, I wouldn’t say that they never spread misinformation, because they do. Some of them speculate about the government, science, history, etc. and present information that is purely based on opinions and not facts. That ends up being damaging because some people get really into the videos and they end up believing that whatever is in the video is true.
I have watched plenty of conspiracy theory videos on youtube and I thoroughly enjoy them. Most of them I don’t believe but some of them make a lot of sense. I do know that when I watch these videos I need to remember that they are only theories. Conspiracy theories have been happening for forever and they will continue to happen. I’m sure plenty of people have gotten into trouble because of conspiracies but I think the vast majority of people just like to hear different explanations. The internet is a great place to share ideas with people who have similar interests as you. That being said these sites, like Youtube, should monitor what they push people to see. They have a responsibility to supervise what people can see, especially if its dangerous. We as the viewers also have a responsibility to decide what be believe as true or not.
I’m concerned about which kind of conspiracy theories people believe. Some conspiracy theories are harmless, funny, and entertaining to watch. Others,however, can be cruel and inappropriate. It now becomes clear that the line between the two needs to be drawn. Me and my friends will often discuss this, debating on whether conspiracies are funny or harmful. But they are also dangerous, making it essential that youtube finds the ones that are dangerous, and makes sure that they are eradicated. This is because some poke fun at suicide, or other things that are real problems in todays society. Putting a stop to this would make children feel more comfortable and safe, something youtube should strive to do.
Honestly I do sometimes worry about what happened to the world in the last decade. People believing in conspiracy theories, especially outrageous ones really worries me. That is basically saying that you can say anything and at least some number of people would believe you. It's ridiculous that some people think that the 911 attacks were staged by the governments. I think that most conspiracy theories are more fun and interesting than anything else, however some can be dangerous and may pose serious consequences. For example, while the run for presidency was going on, their was a theory going around saying that Hillary was hiding and selling kids into slavery via the basement of a pizza place. One day, a man with an assault rifle entered the building to attempt to save the children. The only catch was, there was no basement. However this just goes to show that people will believe outrages things.
@Lucas That is a great example you give. The thing about conspiracy theories is that there will always be someone dumb enough to believe them and do something rash. That is such an obvious made-up story that it's is amazing someone could believe that but you never know. I think youtube is doing a good job not recommending conspiracy videos to viewers because I have not seen many recently. It is youtubes job to stop conspiracy theories from spreading because they direct all the viewers to videos, so they need to make sure the videos are safe to be viewed by the general public,
America stands for freedom of speech, however the filtering of Youtube's conspiracy theories is essential to protect citizens. There are many interesting conspiracy theories for public access that provide interesting points of views. These are not the types of videos that Youtube is banning. As the article states, videos saying that 9/11 was planned by America were banned. These videos are taken down because they pose unnecessary threats to safety. Even though civil liberties such as freedom of speech are guaranteed, a public domain has every right to limit videos that go against their community guideline.If Youtube were to start limiting videos based on their own bias opinion, they would be likely to receive backlash, but this isn’t against the law. A company started by an individual belongs to that individual as long as they follow guidelines. Even if the government was infringing upon the rights of people, it is for their own benefit. When safety is threatened, civil liberties decrease in order to ensure safety. During 9/11, Americans were frightened for their lives and the future of the aerospace industry. To re earn the trust of Americans, the government began to search every citizen before they boarded a plane. This cut into American’s rights to not be searched without a warrant, but no Americans questioned or fought back against it because they cared for their safety. On a smaller scale, Youtube is acting in the same way.
Yes, if in the wrong hands information can be deadly. This is the same for conspiracy theories. While some are just entertaining to hear about and explore, others can cause panic. Just 5 minutes ago I heard a classmate talking about how the CoronaVirus got to my city. I was scared, I texted my mom and asked if this was true. This was the only reason why I knew it wasn't. If another student overheard and posted this on social media there would have been panic. Things spread fast on social media making these theories that much more dangerous. The articles mention of the change in recommended conspiracy theory videos is true. I used to watch these videos often, it was one of the only things I used YouTube for. In the last year I haven't seen as many. The ones I did watch though we're not harmful. The theories that spread through Instagram, Facebook, and twitter are far more dangerous. YouTube making cutting down on these videos may make a small amount of change but if these platforms did the same the change would be huge. Just like fake news it spreads like wildfire through the apps. In order to stop the problems the sources need to make restrictions first.
@Kali Hatcher I do agree with you about what happens when false information gets in the wrong hands. However, deadly seems to be a strong word. I don’t think anyone is killing anyone over any youtube videos. Yes of course when we are talking about national security this is true, but this isn't though.
I think the points you make are effective. One more thing, when you were talking about the Coronavirus you double checked with your mom. That is crucial. Double checking an idea or statement can save so much time and stress.
I don’t think restrictions need to be made though, but the viewer needs to be alert. Of course when using our device our guard is down. But just 2 seconds to double check could be crucial.
I like a good conspiracy theory or as I call some "the truth". I like it when people challenge the norm and go against the grain; it lets me know there is still hope for mankind and that we are all sheeple. But banning videos because they "engage in disinformation" or go against what Google wants its viewers to think is a very slippery slope.
When a body like Google with such a vast audience starts to pick and choose what it wants to be shown as the top videos, they start to go down a slippery slope. Google has a very hard left wing bias and if they continue to deem right wing content as "fake" then they start to push a false narrative. Youtube used to be a place where anyone could post anything they please and I think Youtube should return to that style of a free for all. If the DNC wants to post left wing content, let them. If the GOP wants to post right wing content, let them. If the Russain Government wants to post videos about their space program or some communists want to post videos of them talking about the greatness of the USSR, let them.
Conspiracy theories are fun and they allow people to go against the grain and disagree with the norm. I believe that the name "conspiracy theory" was simply made up to discredit people who think differently and portray them all as tinfoil hat wearing people. If people want to push their narrative and post stuff that others want to call crazy, let them
@Yates Kirby You obviously have put some thought into this topic. I looked at the headline of this article and laughed a little because my brother and I recently watched a YouTube video of Joe Rogan interviewing Alex Jones, who’s infamous for his conspiracy theories. I thought it was purely humourous, but my brother explained that he has a huge group of loyal followers who believe what he says is true. Conspiracy theories seem totally harmless and comical to me because some are so ridiculous, but its important that they don’t get too out of hand.
I think in some case conspiracists can turn into a sort of cult leader, which is obviously not good for anyone. If we look back in history, radical people with unique ideas are frequently oppressed and laughed at in society (with people like me doing the laughing). We are a country of freedom though, so limiting peoples harmless ideas and views, even if they seem crazy to us, is just adding unnecessary restraints.
This was largely thanks to a music festival that was set up outside of the base to distract the curious alien hunters. In a time dominated by technology, we as users have to be careful of our actions and how we act on the internet. Spreading conspiracy theories is fun until people put their lives on the line to prove their truth.
The internet really has brought the good, the bad, and the weird out of humanity. And I say that one website puts all three together in one algorithm. YouTube. And YouTube really has been the kindling to the fire of conspiracy theories. Whether it is something as laughable as the Flat Earth Conspiracy or as disgusting as the 9/11 truther movement, conspiracy theories really have found it's home on YouTube.
But YouTube has continued the spread of conspiratorial videos on it's website. And has led to misinformation spread across the internet. And there really needs to be some accountability in YouTube's algorithm to stop these factually incorrect conspiracies. Because online conspiracies can be a real danger to society.
Conspiracy can be one of the major legs in developing radical ideology. And letting the spread of conspiracies go unhindered allows for parts of the internet to become a vacuum chamber of misinformation. Stopping the spread of these conspiracies is the first step to stopping the political polarization in modern day America.
Everyone knows about Area 51, the highly classified government base out in the middle of nowhere. For years, it has been speculated to be home to aliens and other extra-terrestrial beings that the government is hiding from the publics' watchful eye. Countless movies and books have been written about Area 51, which is largely believed to be the most mysterious place on Earth. Small groups of people have 'investigated' for themselves with little success. It is too heavily guarded for anyone to get near the base, much less breach the base itself. For example, last September, more than 2 million people pledged to storm the mysterious Area 51 base in Nevada. The concept to break into the top-secret military base was spread on websites like Youtube, Reddit, and Instagram. The original creator of the event tried to call the raid off after he realized people had actually taken his joke seriously and truly planned to attack the base. He was even contacted directly by the government to warn his supporters of the dangers they faced.
Even the United States Military had something to say about the September raid. They announced on mass media that anyone who trespassed on the Area 51 property were legally allowed to be shot dead on the spot. This seemingly harmless joke he made quickly morphed into a potential murder zone for curious conspiracy believers. Although a few thousand people showed up to storm the base, no one was actually shot or harmed in doing so.
2
@Harrison Carter
I completely agree, conspiracies have been the inspiration for countless classic and blockbuster films. There minimal factual evidence, leaves infinite space to interpretation by the creative mind.
Conspiracy theories are harmless in writing, but dangerous through the interpretation of an individual. This is similar to when the article mentions the dangers of misinformation posted by conspiracy theorists. For example you mentioned the Area 51 raid, this harmless joke only became a threat because of its passionate followers.
I feel as though conspiracy theories are mainly just to get people interested and joking around but some can be pretty convincing and that’s what makes it dangerous sometimes. There are so many people out there that can take these conspiracies theories seriously and do something about it. I don’t think it has ever really been a major problem but it’s definitely something we should make ourselves aware of.
@Elle S
I agree that a lot of these conspiracy's are just harmless theories. The ones that aren't so obviously not true can be very dangerous. We have already had multiple cases where someone having one of these theories has led to panic in many. This can be very harmful too many. When there is panic things shut down and daily living besoms much more difficult.
@Elle S
I agree at the end of the day its really just a way for people to connect and joke online but their will definitely be the people who take it "a step to far". (Area 51 joke)
As a frequent viewer of Youtube I am able to attest to the abundance of advertising for conspiracy video content. I watched conspiracy videos a lot when I was younger and more naive to the world around me. The information within these videos are very convincing and the creators intentionally search for issues that the common person could typically not explain to make their videos as persuasive as possible. The creators feed off the ignorance of their viewers in order to make the most profit possible for themselves through views, whether it is their intention to prey upon the uninformed or not. While I do agree that humans should question the world around them, I disagree with the mass production information that’s pushed to impressionable viewers when it may or may not be true. It should be the viewers responsibility to take in information and do their own research; however, most of the time youth, the primary audience, fails to do so and takes in theories as factual information. These deceptive facts and views of the world are being placed in future decision makers and I believe it creates an irrational and distorted perspective on the world. It is so important to question the causes and effects of things going on in the world, but these conspiracy videos are creating an absorbing and regurgitating process where the viewers never question the videos themselves and adopt them as their own beliefs.
YouTube is undoubtedly one of the most powerful ways to spread information. Anyone has the ability to post videos and share their knowledge and beliefs with the world, but the information in these videos are not always factual. It is because of the ease of sharing information on YouTube that conspiracy theories have become so common, and hotly debated among believers and nonbelievers. The spreading of conspiracy theories have even pitted everyday Americans against scientists, who constantly strive to debunk these conspiracies by providing evidence and facts that should easily disprove any theory. While I feel that most conspiracy theories are used as a joke, I know that there are enough people in the world who actually believe them and think they are accurate, and this is why conspiracy theories can be dangerous.
@Ashley M. While I agree that YouTube is a very easily available website to post information, I’d say it’s also not powerful in the slightest. I like to think that the majority of people won’t listen to some schmuck’s opinion on the internet just because he spent an ungodly amount of cash on a decent camera. Besides, most people already treat that stuff as a joke, like the “raid” on Area 51 back in September which had roughly a couple thousand absentees. There are those who will believe anything they hear about and argue to real world scientists with baseless assumptions, but those are usually the people these conspiracy theories are trying to bait and when they bite, laughs will be shared.
Online conspiracy theories can be dangerous, how can they not be. Theories that come just out of conspiracy have no evidence backing up the claim except information that has not been proven. While in the article YouTube said they would, “misinform users in harmful ways”, this may be true, but why would they remove videos that are making them a profit if they are not saying anything ludacris or threatening. These theories are ludacris so if a person believes everything they hear on the internet they need to rethink what credibility is because, some of these YouTubers just are trying to find stuff on the internet for views. This is understandable because they are content creators trying to make money just like anyone else. The article blames these theories on YouTubes algorithm of recommending videos, but is it not the consumers fault by watching these videos full of fallacies. People on the other hand might enjoy watching these far out theories just for entertainment purposes. The only way conspiracy theories can be dangerous is if people actually believe them. There is nothing wrong with questioning the government that governs a person either because if no one keeps an eye on what they are doing liberties could go away as seen in other countries around the world. Overall society believes false information all the time and people as a whole today don’t trust media outlets like they used to. People are just trying to find an informational outlet they think is reliable.
A few months ago I got into the conspiracy side of YouTube. To me conspiracy videos, like those of Shane Dawson, are just for entertainment and I don’t really believe any of them. I do however, think that some conspiracies cross the line from fun entertainment to dangerous misinformation. For example, some say that the leaders of the student led campaign after the Parkland shooting were crisis actors hired to push the gun control agenda. As a result these already traumatized students and their families have received blackmail and threats of violence and even death; this conspiracy is causing further harm to a community that is going through a time of loss and mourning. These are the types of conspiracies that YouTube should be responsible for blocking. However, at the end of the day misinformation is going to be spread and it is up to the individual to make sure their information is coming from a credible source: being quick to question and slow to believe.
YouTube is a great place to entertain yourself and I myself have watched a multitude of conspiracy videos from a particular YouTuber named Shane Dawson who’s title and thumbnails are very intriguing causing me to click. Many of his conspiracies though are harmless and I don’t see them as any type of danger within the information they give. He usually doesn’t have much evidence to back his theories and he stresses that this is why they’re just theories. If these videos were causing some sort of danger to people then I could see the regulation of videos on YouTube necessary, but conspiracies that are just interesting shouldn’t be penalized. I’ve also noticed that Shane Dawson doesn’t really upload conspiracy videos anymore and that is probably due to the heavy regulation and YouTube not putting those videos in people’s recommended pages like the article explains. For me to actually believe a conspiracy I need to see real evidence, leading me to believe some I’ve seen on the internet but I most likely don’t.
I watch more YouTube than I’d like to admit. Despite that, I don’t actually watch many conspiracy theories, even with its growing audience because of YouTubers like Shane Dawson who had a popular conspiracy theory series. I think that conspiracy theories are more for entertainment and amusement than like actual facts. I think that if people are actually believing in conspiracy theories, they should probably look up more information about it that deters them from believing that it’s actually true. More often than not, conspiracy theories are just twists people have created on actual events or fabricated stories that they tell for other people to see and discuss. Although it’s not intended to be taken seriously, I do think that there is potential danger in believing in conspiracy theories.
They’ve become more popular because of certain YouTubers who create interesting conspiracy theory series’, like Shane Dawson and that hooks them further into that real, of YouTube. Additionally, they have a certain mystical aspect to them that many people enjoy and pertain to a wider audience than other platforms.
For the longest time I was addicted to conspiracy theories on YouTube. Shane Dawson being the king of conspiracy brought to the fore-front my favorite one, the Chuck E Cheese Pizza conspiracy. This conspiracy spread all over the world, and I honestly still believe it today. The conspiracy states that the workers at Chuck E Cheese recycle the uneaten pizza slices from previous customers, reheat them, and serve them again to new customers. If you look at any actual picture of the pizzas, this theory completely seems like a solid explanation for why the pizza looks the way it does. Nevertheless, the culture of conspiracy can be invasive and can intrude on businesses, seen by the Chuck E Cheese theory. Even beyond that, these theories can have an impact on younger children and how they view life. Although these theories are theories, a lot of people take them as fact, and ultimately that’s the downfall of conspiracy theories.
I don’t believe most conspiracy theories I hear about, because most of the time the things they’re saying are simply too crazy to be true. While watching conspiracy theory videos is fun, the things that they say are completely outlandish and most of the time aren’t based on fact. I do feel like we shouldn’t promote conspiracy theories, because they can lead to people, believing them which isn’t good for the public. Conspiracy theories in my opinion are similar to fake news and they shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Conspiracy theories have continued to agitate the public and raise controversy over topics such as aliens. While I find many to be ridiculous, some have lingered around for many years. One of the only conspiracies that has continued to entertain throughout the years has been UFOs. Even though I rarely agree with the ridiculous “sightings,” a few years ago I raised the question “what if?” I was so intrigued by this topic that I lost sleep over it and I became so determined to explore the truth only to be left just where I had started: with no data, nothing. I do think conspiracy theories can be dangerous: causing societal problems and universal frustration. However, I do not think they should be removed from internet browsers because they spice things up and even somethings as silly as aliens add a little laugh to tough day.
I have watched some conspiracy theories on YouTube, and I feel that they are more fun and interesting than dangerous. The ones I have watched at least, were kind of fun and interesting but I don’t know how it could be dangerous. It can scare the internet though most of them are fake. Normally the youtubers try to get people to click on their videos to make more money, and the videos aren’t necessarily true. Therefore I do not think it is dangerous.
1
@Luke Norvid I feel conspiracy theories can be interesting, but I can also see where they can be dangerous. I also have seen some fun and interesting ones but I have also seen some "dangerous" ones that have been taken out of hand.
I watch a lot of YouTube videos but I rarely watch conspiracy videos. It's interesting for sure, but I don't understand why people would believe theories backed up by so little facts. Mostly, they are for fun. It's entertaining to speculate on theories, and occasionally I find very convincing cases for conspiracy theories. However, it becomes dangerous once someone actually believes in the theories.
Since YouTube has a large audience of younger children, I think conspiracy theories on YouTube are more likely targeted these people. Younger children are more likely to believe theories not based on facts, especially when their favorite Youtuber tells them that. It becomes dangerous when people act on these beliefs.
Conspiracy theories are most often harmful, because they are highly exaggerated, or flat out wrong. Many conspiracy theorists willfully ignore facts that do not fall in line with their beliefs, and look for evidence where there is none. This type of thinking threatens the entire concept of truth and reason, and without proper truth, civilization cannot be expected to make the right decisions.
However, I do not believe conspiracy theorists have a harmful intent - in fact, most conspiracy theorists have good intentions. The base of almost every conspiracy theory is skepticism for the status quo. This ideal is just as important as logic because skepticism allows us to delve further into what is true. For example, many conspiracy theorists believe that George W. Bush deliberately orchestrated the events of 9/11. While this is likely not true, Bush's plan of action and its results were not ideal, and treating the events with some skepticism could lead us to realize something we did not see before.
The most important thing, to avoid ridiculous conspiracy theories or dangerous complacency, is to never get too attached to one idea. Many people accept what is presented to them with such fervor that they ignore facts that suggest otherwise. On the other hand, a number of people are so determined to reject the status quo that they willfully ignore everything, even that which is true. When trying to find the absolute truth, it is key to find a midpoint between skepticism and faith.
@Jillian Steeves
I really like your point made about conspiracy theories being made mainly to point out there skepticism with the status quo. For the majority of conspiracy videos on you tube, they are mainly made with the intent of entertainment, and thinking outside of the box even if the theories that arise from this are absurd. You are right that there isn't much valid evidence being used in conspiracy theory's, and they're often untrue, but the thing which makes it different from misinformation is they are just putting thoughts out there, and it shouldn't be taken any more seriously than that. Everything said is meant to be taken with a grain of salt, and I think the best way to solve this problem on YouTube is to filter the videos which do not clearly state and emphasize this point so the audience understands that it isn't real facts.
1
Conspiracy theories are pretty much clickbait. Area 51 raiding’s were actually just made from memes. People are going to get bad information about a lot of topics, because that’s the way news is these days. Clickbait. What can get the most views of retweets, etc. And MOST people take this as a joke. In which case, the conspiracy theories are completely fine, and actually are just a comical escape. But there is always that 1% of people that go too far with it. I don’t believe that YouTube is to blame for this, you cannot control what someone is thinking. The people that believe in conspiracy theories have a heightened sense of suggestion, meaning that, when someone suggests an idea, they are more prone to believe in it. This is the same way that hypnotists would work, with a higher lever of e the persons actions. Even if conspiracy theories were eradicated, that 1% of people would find some other crazy stuff to believe in. YouTube can not control this problem no matter what, nobody can.
I believe that conspiracy theories have gained popularity within recent years due to the curiosity that resides within the younger generations, along with their availability to access on sites such as YouTube, though I don’t believe that YouTube is solely to blame for the skyrocketing interest in these kinds of theories. Conspiracy theories generally seem pretty harmless in my opinion, since the majority of the ones I have seen are obviously not realistic, yet I do understand how some may be dangerous, especially for younger audiences. I have seen a few videos in the past where the speaker has been able to create a very convincing argument regarding a theory that was outwardly incorrect, yet some people may not be able to understand between what is and is not accurate. This ultimately has the ability to foster negative beliefs or twisted thinking regarding certain situations, and may be quite insensitive if the theory is questioning the validity of an actual devastating event. Overall, the popularity of these theories are not greatly dangerous, but have the ability to create false thinking cycles.
I do watch a lot of YouTube videos but not a lot conspiracy theories. I don’t think YouTube is all to blame because after all... does YouTube force you to watch and believe the theories? Not really. The viewers are the ones who are in control of believing it or not. Most of it is all common sense because like... the earth isn’t flat but there is theories that there is but there is so much evidence proving that it’s not
YouTube is a platform that can easily be used it entertain. Sure, conspiracy theories can be entertaining, especially if they’re so made up that it’s funny and you know it’s not true. But sometimes people make conspiracy theories about serious events either because they legitimately believe it, or just do it for the fame, when the people the story is about are getting hurt. In the age of of a fast paced lifestyle we can be quick to read the first headline and believe it without looking into it. This can lead to misinformation, which spreads like wildfire in our increasingly connected world. Conspiracy theories can be dangerous if applied to serious topics and used to hurt people/groups, but they also can be something that entertains us where we’re bored. When watching conspiracy theory videos or reading about them, I think it is important to use common sense when deciding whether or not to believe something on the internet.
More often than not conspiracy theory videos are inaccurate and most viewers are aware of that, yet continue to watch because most of them make a convincing argument. Admittedly, I used to watch videos on YouTube of them and occasionally read more into the ones that seemed realistic. However, I quickly learned that more often than not they were wrong and made me much more paranoid about simple things. Conspiracy theories allow people to express possibilities of things that we cannot explain. Consequently, they can cause people to believe false information which can put them in danger. With the recent coronavirus outbreak the Internet is full of conspiracy theories on how people are getting it, who is getting it, and many other beliefs that cannot be backed up by factual evidence. While conspiracy theories may be interesting you need to be careful that you don’t believe what has yet to be proven.
While I do believe that conspiracy theories can be a danger to society, I believe that there is an aspects to these theories are are a necessity for society. Having conspiracy theories allows us to challenge what we know, and allows us to now always be neieve to certain information we hear. But on the otherhand, I believe that conspiracy theories can be detrimental to society as it does question the trust that we have within our government. For example, many people question whether or not the first moon landing was real. While there is some compelling information, there must be a boundary line that can't be crossed when it comes to trusting our government. There are times that we must trust what they are telling is inorder to perseverance nationality and safety in some instances, and conspiracy theories sometimes challenge that.
I think when we talk about the most prominent conspiracy theories(Q, Pizzagate, Flat Earth, etc), Youtube is hardly to blame for their spread. There is a very specific corner of the internet that we can attribute these to, and I don’t think youtube is wholly responsible.
I do see a lot of conspiracy videos in my feed, and, although it’s been awhile since I’ve clicked on one, they seem generally harmless. It’s always pretty stupid stuff- Coronavirus doesn’t exist, Finland is fake, the Titanic never actually sank(These were some of the videos I just found in a quick search). The only genuine conspiracy content I came across was coverage of conspiracy theories by MSNBC, BBC, CBS, and Watchmojo.com.
While I don’t really have any numerical data here, a large majority of conspiracy theories that I’ve seen on youtube are harmless and stupid. The genuine conspiracy theories- the ones we should worry about, the ones we should fear- are found in other places. Public forums and message boards in a dark corner of the internet most people have never been to are, honestly, far more responsible than youtube is for conspiracy-based violence.
Besides the fact that the conspiracy theories tend to be more thorough and detailed in that corner, people who go searching deep through the web for conspiracy content are probably more passionate about it than someone who takes notice of random clickbait on youtube. In other words, worry less about youtube and more about 4chan.
1
I think when we talk about the most prominent conspiracy theories(Q, Pizzagate, Flat Earth, etc), Youtube is hardly to blame for their spread. There is a very specific corner of the internet that we can attribute these to, and I don’t think youtube is wholly responsible.
I do see a lot of conspiracy videos in my feed, and, although it’s been awhile since I’ve clicked on one, they seem generally harmless. It’s always pretty stupid stuff- Coronavirus doesn’t exist, Finland is fake, the Titanic never actually sank(These were some of the videos I just found in a quick search). The only genuine conspiracy content I came across was coverage of conspiracy theories by MSNBC, BBC, CBS, and Watchmojo.com.
While I don’t really have any numerical data here, a large majority of conspiracy theories that I’ve seen on youtube are harmless and stupid. The genuine conspiracy theories- the ones we should worry about, the ones we should fear- are found in other places. Public forums and message boards in a dark corner of the internet most people have never been to are, honestly, far more responsible than youtube is for conspiracy-based violence.
Besides the fact that the conspiracy theories tend to be more thorough and detailed in that corner, people who go searching deep through the web for conspiracy content are probably more passionate about it than someone who takes notice of random clickbait on youtube. In other words, worry less about youtube and more about 4chan.
I believe that conspiracy videos on YouTube and other platforms have gained popularity because of the younger generations curiosity and entertainment. As a society, it is not unusual for people to over analyze situations and question the validity of an event, which is why it may be easy for people to fall into a trap of paranoia from conspiracy theories. Theories surrounding the government and how birds are just little cameras and that 9/11 was inside job are simply intriguing entertainment, yet dangerous as well. As a technologically advanced society, news outlets and the government should do a better job to inform and dismiss these theories, too.
I am concerned with the idea of people believing in conspiracy theories because of the fact that they could do so much harm. For example, the theory that vaccines could cause Autism, could put the lives of many children in danger because their bodies have not built up a tolerance to things like the flu which could be terrible to them and they could die. On the other hand, I think that conspiracy theories are interesting because of the way the theorists come up with the theory by putting evidence together, but some of them are just so outrageous, they are funny, such as the theory that the earth is flat. I also think that no one should take these theories seriously and just enjoy the complex world of conspiracy theories and how crazy some of them could be.
@Weston Tanh I agree with what you said about conspiracies. There are some conspiracies that can be very dangerous, and can cause harm to a lot of the population. Vaccines are a great example. Many accredited scientists can attest that vaccines do not cause Autism, and are a huge medical innovation created to help the human race. Because of this conspiracy, many children are put in danger, and in turn, the people that they come in contact with are also in danger. Some conspiracies are fun to watch on YouTube when you have a lazy day and are just watching for amusement, but others can be dangerous, and should be debunked as soon as possible.
1
@Weston Tanh I completely agree with your statements, but also It's hard for people to just not take some conspiracy theories. For example, ant-vaxxers believe that vaccines cause autism, but many of them just want an explanation for their child being on the spectrum. They could feel hurt and angry, and could be looking for a way to prove it wasn't their fault so they can get some sort of closure. I think when people are hurt or angry, they start to think irrationally and that results in some outrageous conspiracies gaining traction.
@Uma Volety
A source that could be contributing to the overestimation of the Corona
Virus, could be related to the constant flow of memes created about the CoronaVirus. Some of which are comparing the CoronaVirus to other epidemics like the Black Plague or Ebola, are causing people to be overly frightened by the thought of the CoronaVirus and what it is capable of. But I do not feel there should be much to worry about it, given that people regularly wash their hands and sanitize surfaces. Personally I’m not concerned for my own health as I do not find a need to worry about a virus that has a lower mortality rate than the common cold.
The article details how YouTube has begun recommending a much smaller number of conspiracy theory videos than it has in it's past, I don't necessarily think this action is beneficial to people. Conspiracy theories ,such as: FDR knowing about the Pearl Harbor bombing before it happened, Obama was not born in America, the Kennedy assassination, allow for people to creatively speculate and become educated over certain time periods. Many conspiracy theories inspire people to gain knowledge of time periods; I was inspired to research the Kennedy assassination because of conspiracy theories and as a result learned several details about Kennedy's presidency that I would never have known.
Youtube’s algorithm will never be a perfect system that rids the world of all lies and deceit. It can’t do this will the enormous amount of videos that are uploaded to the site per day and I don’t think I would want it to either way. The site started to change its policy to do the constant media smears that have been happening. Conspiracy videos have existed on for a long time. Many of them are made in good fun just thinking of or questioning ideas. Although, there are some which go severely too far in their rhetoric. I would hope that most people wouldn’t be dumb enough to fall for this trap but I guess this is not the case. While I don’t think that Youtube creates some large rabbithole to racist videos, there are probably some dummies that can’t tell the difference. If a youtube video can convince you that the government pulled off 9/11 then you were probably not right in the head to begin with. Honestly, I really like how Youtube is now putting official informational links on videos that deal with widespread real world affecting topics. That will indeed decrease the amount of misinformation but I do get worried when these systems start taking things too far. When will the day come when biases are intertwined in the algorithm and certain ideas are labeled as conspiracy theories. Even now people that were trying to guess where the coronavirus originated from were labeled as. It is truly a scary world, where our future ideas and values will be controlled by a machine.
1
@Akye Nixon-McCray I think it’s safe to say that most of the conspiracy videos on YouTube are made for comedic purpose, and even if they’re not many people will often take it as a joke. The moon landing was faked, the earth is flat, and almost every conspiracy theory about aliens are essentially just memes at this point.
But as you said there are people who actually take these conspiracy theories seriously and when it comes to ‘theories' like global warming is a hoax and the many government conspiracies which can become troublesome if you see it as more than a joke. The people who believe these kinds of theories are the same people who barely do research on serious subjects. We all like to hope and believe that no one is stupid or naive enough to believe these conspiracies videos. We like to think that no one will look at a video that is obviously a joke or obviously untrue and actually believe it, but people like that exist.
It is up to the viewer to identify truth, people need to figure out for themselves what is reality and what is absurdity. And YouTube has no way of figuring out which one of its viewers are capable of doing so, the algorithm doesn’t test critical thinking.
I watch online videos that have conspiracy theories in the content quite frequently. I believe some of the suggested truths if multiple sources mention the same problem, though most are dismissed with much unease due to me being slightly convinced by the information, but not always. After some formal instructions in class, I know to check fact checkers and reliable news sources to validate the perceived verities. I am not particularly concerned about my family and friends over-believing conspiracies, and I find them quite fun by default, though some of the supposedly-unmasked facts are quite unsettling to me. Because of how enigmatic they are, the theories can affect many to have dangerous thoughts on the topic. The reason I see behind the popularity of conspiracy theories is that they have a shroud of mystery, which can appeal to many who are surfing the web. Most of the little-known content creators that I find interest in were previously recommended to me by YouTube, and the algorithms behind the site are largely responsible for the discovery of small-scale creators like some of my friends, and potentially me, to the public. I view that the responsibility to validate the information published falls to both YouTube and the viewers, because every sensible person should try to distinguish what they see as true or false, as to not disorient the audience into fearing lies or dismissing the truth.
I've watched many videos on YouTube about conspiracy theories, and I'll probably know any one you ask me about, though it's purely for entertainment. I've seen some theories that seem convincing, but I have never fully believed in one. I just think it's fun to hear other people's perspectives on things we don't have answers to. Some conspiracies are more far fetched than others, for example the flat earth theory and the theory that the moon landing never took place, though believers try to convince us with fake evidence. I think this is what YouTube is most worried about regarding the popularity of conspiracy theories. People who watch these videos, especially young kids, might believe the false information being told to them. This is a problem because it could lead to kids being more easily influenced by inaccurate facts they are told.
1
@Victoria Fey I agree that it seems YouTube is more concerned with videos regarding completely false and fabricated information. Although conspiracy videos are almost always far fetched, most are based off of presumptions or guesses at questions that seem to be unanswered. However, like you said, there are videos that are based off of completely falsified information that is proven wrong and presented as fact. Children are exposed to technology younger and younger these days, and I find it concerning that these videos are readily accessible to them. While we find conspiracy theories entertaining, they are very susceptible to believing whatever information they are told. Many young children struggle with identifying a lie or false information when it is told to them by an adult because they tend to see the large majority of adults as authoritative, trustworthy figures. I think Youtube needs to keep their young users in mind when working on their recommendations involving conspiracies.
1
Most of the videos I watch on youtube are recommended by youtube. And these videos are often what I like to watch, but sometimes, there are videos where I think to myself, “why is this in my recommendation?”. But most of the time it’s accurate. Also, most of the videos I see on my recommendation, are all YouTubers who already have a decent number of subs. This is unfair for the YouTubers who haven’t got a large following yet. Going back to conspiracy videos, it’s not Youtube’s responsibility to make sure the content is accurate. If they were to do that, then most of the content wouldn’t be factually accurate. Many videos are supposed to be satirical not supposed to be taken seriously. It depends on the viewer’s skill to differentiate weather the content is factual, or satirical. If the viewer cannot differentiate between the content, then that’s when things can become dangerous.
I believe that these conspiracy theory videos have definitely grown in popularity and views through creators like Shane Dawson and Buzz-feed Unsolved. These people investigate so much into these theories that some viewers find it hard to not believe. This causes for many people to begin to believe crazy ideas about society. Honestly, I don't think that these conspiracies are any danger to anyone. People watch them to get their mind off the real world, and be able to think about things from a different perspective. I personally do watch these videos, purely for entertainment, and I see no harm in them. They are just that, entertainment, and they are interesting to see odd theories people have about society.
3
@Watson Pope
I understand your point on how they can be harmless, but for those who are less informed, it could be very dangerous. Sometimes these theories cause people to go too far, and although it started as a harmless joke, it could end very badly. Take the Area 51 raid for example. It’s a heavily protected government base. Somebody posted about it having aliens and how people should raid it to uncover the mysterious truth that hides within. People took it seriously and the event started exploding all over social media lining up more and more people to go. It got so bad that the government had to threatened that they have the right to shoot anybody who comes near the base like that. A silly joke made its way all the way to a possible death scene. All these uninformed people were in harms way. You said you watch these videos for purely entertainment, and I believe that’s how everybody should view them. They should be informed that there is very little to no evidence behind these theories, and they should be taken lightly.
1
@Watson Pope I think it's okay to post conspiracy theory videos on YouTube, but the way they present these theories can be harmful. I was an avid watcher of Shane Dawson's conspiracy theory videos, and before the video, he always has a disclaimer that states that they're not proven as fact but are just for entertainment. I think that's a safe way to present these theories in a way that is harmless. However, people who claim that these theories and real can be harmful. Personally, I agree that the majority of these videos are just for fun and aren't bothering anybody but there can be people who are easily roped into these things if someone is persuasive enough.
@Watson Pope
I completely agree with your claim that conspiracy videos are made to be entertaining, not to mess with people. For me, watching conspiracy theory videos aren’t going to make me want to go out and solve some myself. I’m fine staying on my bed and watching someone else like Shane Dawson do all the work. Unless the creator of the conspiracy video is asking their audience to do something extra relating to the conspiracy, there should be no harm in watching for fun. The videos that I have seen show warnings before and throughout the video saying that the video is purely for fun and to not take anything too seriously. I think that if all conspiracy theory videos and articles incorporated these warnings, it would lessen the number of those who are gullible enough to fall for joke stories.
While I do think that conspiracy theories can be mostly harmless, I see why YouTube would want to reduce their influence on the platform. The flat earth theory started out as a joke until some people started making conspiracies about how the earth isn’t actually a sphere. Now there’s a whole society out there with private membership. This is a huge example backing up your claim of people believing crazy ideas. What I’m saying is that the main goal of conspiracies are to entertain, but they should come with warnings deterring people from believing said content so no more crazy ideas kick-start another society.
I´m not very concerned about people believing conspiracies, as long as nobody is getting harmed through their beliefs. I personally do not believe in any conspiracies, however, and I do not care for them. None of my family/friends take them seriously either, but when people do odd stuff, like the Area 51”raid”, I just want to know the drama. I just think they’re entertaining. I’m sure most conspiracies are safe, but it is possible that some people could take it too far. Everyone should be able to safely express their beliefs. ☁️💖
In 2016, a man barged into a pizza restaurant in Washington, D.C. carrying multiple guns. He proceeded to go to the kitchen and fire a gun to break a lock after conducting a search. Shortly after, he was apprehended by the police. Why did he do this? A conspiracy theory which he had heard of online. He believed, based on a conspiracy theory, that Hillary Clinton was holding children against their will in that pizza restaurant. While it may be easy to dismiss conspiracy theories as ridiculous ideas that no one truly believes, this incident highlights the effectiveness that some theories have.
It is obvious that fabricated theories can have a great effect on people. Conspiracy videos on YouTube get hundreds of thousands of views. The YouTube algorithm traps people in "echo chambers" where all they hear is what they enjoy hearing: untrue conspiracies. This misinformation can have adverse affects from creating incomplete opinions to influencing who a person votes for. However, YouTube refuses to silence these theories which are often presented as fact. It is clear YouTube can silence these ideas, as a tweak to the algorithm temporarily reduced time people spent watching conspiracy theories by 70 percent, according to Jack Nicas in the article. It is clear that there are adverse affects to viewing conspiracy theories, and it is possible for YouTube to stop it. YouTube needs to let go of its corporate greed and stop the spread of misinformation for the good of the nation.
4
@Sean Hession, I agree entirely. In a world where the internet makes almost anything believable, people hear what they want to hear. One of those things is political conspiracies. If it trashes the other party, if it makes yours look better, then it’s all believable. While conspiracy theories can be entertaining and sometimes innocuous, there are some that are harmful to society and some that are downright disrespectful and ignorant, such as the one that the Holocaust never happened. It’s important for us to recognize what these conspiracy videos are doing to our minds, because the more we fill ourselves with lies, the easier they become to believe. Even if Youtube reforms its algorithm, I doubt that they will be able to entirely eradicate these videos. And you’re right- corporate greed (as well as political greed and propaganda) in many cases is the biggest culprit for the spread of misinformation. In order to create a more informed society, corporations must let go of their motives.
1
@Sean Hession
When I first read this article, I wasn’t really sure what to think. After reading your comment I have been able to better form my opinion and gain more information. I can not believe that a citizen broke into a pizza shop with loaded guns all because of a conspiracy theory. Although I don’t think that all conspiracy theories are necessarily dangerous, I do agree with you that this information can have a major effect on people. Freedom of speech and spread of this information is legal, yes, but influencers should still be cautious of what they are putting out there and who their audiences are.
1
Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
There was an article written by Andrew Wakefeild (published 1998 and 2002) in which he stated that he had done a series of experiments that “proved” that the MMR vaccine and measles virus caused autism in children. The scientific experiments were done in a way in which the data seemed like an obvious clue that the MMR vaccine causes autism in some of the children. People stopped having their children vaccinated, which led to extreme outbreaks of measles in the USA where the measles had previously been eradicated. Everyone got sick, and a bunch of people died. When I was born, my grandma told her to not give me vaccines. I started speaking later than most kids, and so my grandma thought I had autism and that I had it because my mom had me vaccinated. Ever since the article got published, people have stopped giving their kids the MMR vaccine leading to measles outbreaks. A few years after Wakefeild’s second article was published, there were measles outbreaks that 400-500 kids would die in every year. All sorts of theories that are not backed by accurate evidence are considered conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories can be very dangerous and lead to many deaths. Not all conspiracy theories are dangerous, but some are.
I think conspiracies have become so popular because of creators like Shane Dawson, who make the content so interesting and give all the details to consider it being real. I like to watch conspiracy theory videos because it gives my mind a chance to think about something in a different perspective, and question reality.
@Marisa Maisano I love watching Shane Dawsons videos because of the way he makes everything so interesting and it also give my brain to think about things outside of the normal. I don't always believe they are real but I enjoy the times that I watch his videos because it takes me out of the stress im dealing with in the moment and lets me breath while still having a "challenge".
I watch a ton of YouTube videos, and I have for several years of my life now. As somebody who used to be a gullible kid surfing the internet for interesting videos to entertain me, conspiracy theories are not a stranger to me. Kids are always the most vulnerable targets to this genre. When I was around 7 years old, I actually started to believe in conspiracy theories, and while not all of them are harmful (like the Mandela Effect), some of them could effect little children.
I’m pretty concerned with people believing conspiracy theories because so far they have all been pretty dumb. Stuff like anti-vaxxers, people believing 9/11 was an inside job, flat earth, and pizzagate is all pretty stupid. They all have holes in their story and no one should believe them. It’s not something my family talks about, more just what I’ve heard, and my own opinions on them. I don’t think conspiracy theories are fun. Unless you make them in a joking manner, like you randomly say “The Earth is flat.” but as a joke and people know it's a joke and roll along with it it’s fine. But when people start to really believe these stories and take drastic measures to prove them true, bad things can happen. Pizzagate is an example. Someone believed the story of Hillary holding people hostage in the basement of a restaurant that didn’t even have a basement, that they went into the restaurant with a gun. A flat-earther believed the theory so much that they built their own rocket to fly and prove that the Earth is flat. The parachute flew away and the rocket crashed and killed him. Anti-vaxxers are more prone to the dangers of illness, causing either collateral damage by infecting other people, or getting their children killed after they contract an illness and their immune system can’t fight back.
I'll admit, there have been many occasions that I heard about some crazy conspiracy theories and genuinely thought to myself, "oh my gosh, this has to be 100% true!" The most popular conspiracy theory, in my opinion, is the idea that the U.S. government is doing tests on aliens in the depths of Area 51. I have been hearing about Area 51 for as long as I can remember, but it got really popular last year. I mean, who wouldn't want to believe that aliens exist and that the U.S. government is doing tests on them in the highly classified military base that's in the middle of nowhere in Nevada. I totally believed it... and possibly still do.
My dad, who was an officer in the U.S. Air Force for years, had this guy who worked for him, and this guy used to be stationed at Area 51. My dad told me that every year, a bunch of government workers in black suits and white button-ups would come and interview the guy to make sure he hadn't told anyone about what goes on inside the mysterious gates of Area 51. That completely sealed the deal for me. Aliens exist, and they are at Area 51.
But something that I found really interesting when the "Storm Area 51" sensation went viral was the government's response. They said lethal force would be used if necessary and that people would be arrested. Seven people were arrested and that really got me thinking, what really is going on at Area 51?
1
@Mairead Benson Your comment was really interesting, I thought your story about your dad's friend who worked at Area 51 was really cool. I was thinking the same thing last year when everyone was talking about raiding Area 51. I would hear on the news that the government would use force against anyone who tried to get in, and after the seven people were arrested I thought why make such a big deal over this military base that they claim is hiding nothing?
@Mairead Benson Some of these theories are just too interesting to ignore. To think that we are the only living things seems really naive to me. The universe is so vast that it seems impossible that there is nothing else. And what you said about your dad was really interesting. What else could it be besides aliens.
I believe that some conspiracy theories can be dangerous, but some, like the “aliens building the pyramids” one, are harmless. If I go to Youtube and I see what is obviously a conspiracy theory video, my immediate reaction isn’t that it’s true, it’s that someone put a lot of effort into either making fun of a conspiracy theory or making people laugh. Some though, like those about how climate change is fake, could be harmful. When people see justification for polluting the environment, they won’t try to take care of the planet that they think doesn’t need their help. If a conspiracy theory discounts something that could harm people, it shouldn't be circulated.
Youtube shouldn’t have to take away their prime entertainment videos because some people don’t know how to research properly, but the problem is that too many people don’t know how to research properly. Some people don’t take the time to figure out if gullible is written on the ceiling or not, and when so many people are willing to believe that the earth is flat, we might need some sort of screening process for these videos. Maybe all conspiracy theory videos should only be available through a search instead of a recommendation.
That being said, Youtube isn’t controlled by the government and can do whatever it wants. They have freedom of speech and of the press, and they would benefit from keeping the conspiracy videos in their recommendations. They just might be targeted by the FBI for their “domestic terror threat”.
@Elliot Wells I have to agree with you. Outrageous conspiracy theories should be completely disregarded because they do no harm. I think we just need to be careful with how seriously we take the things we read on the internet. You should know better than to take the youtube videos as truth. And if we had the government regulate our internet platforms it would be an invasion of privacy and freedom of speech.
@Elliot Wells I agree with your point of view on this topic. I like the examples you used to differentiate between harmful and harmless conspiracy theories. I believe the people who thoroughly research their theories deserve to have their videos in recommendations but those who, as you said, don't fact check or look into a theory before spreading it don't deserve the same attention.
I have stumbled upon conspiracy theory videos on youtube and I’ve only watched some of them solely for entertainment. I don’t believe in conspiracy theories because of the lack of evidence they show. A lot of conspiracy theories are pretty dumb and you can easily notice that they aren’t real and some actually might seem real and have you hooked and thinking about it. I liked watching some of these videos only because they are interesting to watch but I do agree that some conspiracy theories may cause harm because of people who take action not knowing that the conspiracy theory isn’t true.
Everyone knows about Area 51, the highly classified government base out in the middle of nowhere. For years, it has been speculated to be home to aliens and other extra-terrestrial beings that the government is hiding from the publics' watchful eye. Countless movies and books have been written about Area 51, which is largely believed to be the most mysterious place on Earth. Small groups of people have 'investigated' for themselves with little success. It is too heavily guarded for anyone to get near the base, much less breach the base itself. For example, last September, more than 2 million people pledged to storm the mysterious Area 51 base in Nevada. The concept to break into the top-secret military base was spread on websites like Youtube, Reddit, and Instagram. The original creator of the event tried to call the raid off after he realized people had actually taken his joke seriously and truly planned to attack the base. He was even contacted directly by the government to warn his supporters of the dangers they faced.
Even the United States Military had something to say about the September raid. They announced on mass media that anyone who trespassed on the Area 51 property were legally allowed to be shot dead on the spot. This seemingly harmless joke he made quickly morphed into a potential murder zone for curious conspiracy believers.
Conspiracy theories can either be malicious, dumb fun, or anything in between. Some conspiracy theories can be serious and about tragedies such as 9/11, but some conspiracy theories can be interesting, such as bots in a video game being alive. I enjoy a conspiracy theory every now or then, but I wouldn’t take them as an absolute truth, you always have to take them with a grain of salt. Conspiracy theories usually never have evidence, or something crude in quality, as demonstrated with Bigfoot, or the Lochness Monster. Conspiracy theories aren’t necessarily harmful, but they do have the power to carry misinformation. Was the coronavirus a natural disease, or is it a man made bioweapon? Will the coronavirus be contained? Or will it kill millions? Conspiracy theories are a great tool for fear mongering as well. A great tip of advice is to not get too wrapped up in them, as you might go mad. Do it for your sanity’s sake.
The obvious answer in my opinion is no, solely because they are all fake and purely for entertainment purposes.
Conspiracy theories are good to an extent. They drive imagining, creativity, and critical thinking especially when you are young and naive. When you are young they give you the desire to go explore the neighborhood and outside, instead of being trapped indoors on electronic devices like kids are now. If you are older and really believe in ridiculous conspiracy theories than that is where you can get in trouble. The stereotype of someone who believed in a conspiracy theory is that the person is always hidden in their dark basement researching and then go to the streets and cry out to the world what they think is to be true. For kids conspiracy theories are great, but the older you get the less beneficial they are for you.
@Nick Jones While conspiracy theories might drive imagination and curiosity at a young age, these possible benefits do not outweigh the cons of promoting conspiracy theories. Even for kids, these should not be accepted. That is essentially promoting giving our kids false information. In addition, children are more impressionable than adults and if they are told something, they are more likely to believe it to be true. This means that if a child is shown conspiracy theories, they may believe them and maintain their beliefs even when they are older.
If these children make watching conspiracies a habit when they are young, they will likely carry over this habit to when they are older. This will lead to adults with misinformation. This could influence things like how people vote. In order to prevent this, companies like YouTube should restrict conspiracy content to those over the age of eighteen, in order to prevent taking hypothetical, wildly speculative theories as fact. This must be done to maintain a well-educated, responsible populace.
Creators of conspiracies are playing a dangerous game. Much of YouTube's target demographic is children and teenagers. Creating content like a conspiracy video, which you may know to be false, can be perceived as an actual study by youth. They will take whatever they hear and insist that it is true, causing the malleable brains of today's youth to be warped into believing these radical theories. YouTube should continue to limit the promotion of these videos, but also be well aware of their audiences. They should be able to limit and control what a person sees, rather than allowing a child to roam free on the vast database that is YouTube.
@Brennan Cairns I never thought about how most of the people watching conspiracy theory videos on YouTube are kids and teenagers. Just from experience - personal and not - kids and teens believe almost everything they hear, no matter how completely absurd it is. And I agree with you, that can be extremely dangerous because these kids could make very rash decisions because of this crazy conspiracy they heard about, and they could end up hurting themselves or the people around them.
1
I don’t really watch conspiracy videos on YouTube and I don’t really believe in any of them so I’m not so sure why people are so serious about taking them down. The idea of a conspiracy theory is just a theory made up by someone that is now pushing that theory to other people. I don’t see much harm in that except ones that are messed up like the 9/11 government thing and the one about the sandy hook shooting also being done by the government. I can see why those theories can be harmful. On the other hand I also think you shouldn’t suppress people’s ideas. I agree YouTube should probably not put those videos as random recommendations for people who don’t watch those videos but I also don’t think YouTube should prohibit people who are interested in conspiracy theories from seeing them.
Conspiracy theories are a way of developing a story to an unanswered question. People create these conspiracies because they think they’ve solved the answer to one of these controversial questions or ideas. I think that developing conspiracy theories are quite fun to do because it allows you to think outside of the box. Although this is virtually a harmless exercise some people take their conspiracy theories out of hand and at that point it could be dangerous to create them, because you can be proposing a threat if your conspiracy is targeting a specific group.
Most of the little time I spend on YouTube is watching the recommended videos. I don’t really know why, but sometimes it’s just fun to start out with a video that I picked and 30 minutes later see how much the topic has changed based on the recommendations that the algorithm provides. And that’s the thing that gets me every time: the fact that I spent 10-15 minutes watching a video that I chose, but then spent the other 15-20 minutes watching something that I didn’t choose. That’s why algorithm is so crazy! With it YouTube has the power to change the minds of billions of people and those people could be anyone from the President of The United States to some average Joe living in Korea. This makes YouTube's algorithms one of the most powerful weapons in the world, because unlike all the other weapons in the world, it doesn’t have the power to kill many people, it has the power to change their minds giving it almost more power than any weapon we’ve seen before. On top of all that you have people like Shane Dawson and Mr. Beast posting videos that are full of conspiracy theories. It’s scary to watch my little brother watching YouTube because sometimes when I can tell he’s watching a video about some stupid conspiracy theory I can’t tell if he believes it. I’ll tell him that it’s fake, and that he shouldn’t trust it, but I don’t even know if he listens to me. And if that is our future, watching fake videos and believing them, then the future isn’t looking good for us.
@Oliver K. I totally agree with you because I also find myself spending hours watching my recommendations on YouTube and it is crazy! I start watching something and then the next I end up watching something very different to what I started with. I also watch Shane Dawson’s conspiracy theory videos. When I’m done watching them I am so shook and I don’t know how to think about life anymore because he brings up very good points. Although most of the conspiracy theories are fake they are still very interesting to watch because it makes me think differently and makes me more aware.
Personally, I watch a lot of Youtube videos. When I was younger, I enjoyed watching scary conspiracy videos, and looking back at it, I think it was kind of stupid. At the time, I believed the videos to be real, and that caused a lot of issues in the house. I was always saying weird stuff that popped up in the videos, which I now know was fake and didn’t make sense. For me now, I can tell the difference between something that is real, and something that is all fake and is fabricated. The reason I continued watching these videos was because they made me curious about more, and that is likely the case with others. They also really target gullible people, which means that the videos will be shared, eventually getting viral and being everywhere. The conspiracy videos I watched were on movies, and predicting timelines, but there were also the urban legends, and the videos about locations, people, and groups of people.
@Manav Jha I also watch conspiracy theories on YouTube. I think that some are intriguing but some are just stupid. I have never believed in an actual conspiracy theory especially if it comes from an unreliable source. For example, when Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 many conspiracy theories came out but I never believed them.
I remember watching videos on YouTube on the flat-earth conspiracy theory late into the night with my friends. Many times a video might portray a theory in such a ridiculous way that we might either get angered at it or become interested. People should look at many different reliable sources before believing in a conspiracy theory.
I have not seen many conspiracy theory videos on YouTube, though I do watch it a lot. I think that YouTube should be trying to stop this misinformation from happening- as Hany Farid said, "They use the word 'can't when they mean 'won't'". SO what does this mean? I mainly think that the most important part of this is the takeaway that this is happening and that it needs to be stopped. If you see some of these things, it is just outrageous, but when you really get up-close you can see how people could believe it. They might think, "YouTube recommended it to me, so it must have been checked," or they might not even be thinking about it at all. I think it is half the people and half the company's responsibility to fact check videos. Blatantly incorrect or harmful es should be taken off, but grey-area ones are up to the user.
I have watched any conspiracy videos lately, but around 2 years ago I would watch them alot on Youtube. I think that the reason I would watch them is that they were so interesting and it would always keep you thinking after watching them because you would start to put things together and realize that these could be real, it gives you a paranoid feeling. To a certain extent they do get very outrageous and extreme to the point where you know that it's ridiculous, but most of them have facts and examples that can shock you. I feel that people should definitely be careful with conspiracy theories because people take them too seriously sometimes and it makes them arrogant. I also notice that the reason that these videos are so popular is because of the YouTube algorithm for recommending videos. Many people believe that the algorithm is biased and unfair in which I completely agree. They can recommend ridiculous things, but ignore the large things that everyone is talking about or what is becoming popular. Certain creators are definitely being suppressed and it is very unfair.
I’ve watched YouTube rather consistently throughout my teen years. Even though my excitement for upcoming TV shows has fluctuated, YouTube has always supplied me with consistent new content of baking and artistic videos (some of my favorite videos to watch). Personally, I do think that YouTube is the culprit of spreading a majority of the misinformation thought by teens and young adults, but I DO NOT think it is the responsibility of YouTube to delete or censor these videos. It is one thing to not recommend these videos (because that is generally how these conspiracy videos become mainstream), but, in my opinion, YouTube is overstepping it’s boundaries by taking down these videos. I always liked YouTube because you could express your freedom of speech through YouTube videos and through the comment section below and I feel as if this new wave to censor videos is (a) infringing upon why people like YouTube so much and (b) going to end up going too far. I think that if a video promotes violence, then it being deemed as harmful and being taken down is reasonable and expected, but, saying things like “the earth is flat” and “aliens created the pyramids” isn’t dangerous to anyone or anything besides my brain cells. Furthermore, I would assume that these videos only get as many clicks as they do because of their outrageousness being seen as funny (which it sometimes can be).
1
... I think it is important for our youth to learn to identity outrageous claims when they see them. If a YouTuber seems like an invalid source, it is important for kids and adults alike to identify that and take what the unreliable source says with a grain of salt.
I think conspiracy theories can be, and have been dangerous, but I think many of them are rooted in fear. The anti-vax movement has sparked lots of debate and has caused many people to attack anti-vaxxers and even send dangerous threats. However, many anti-vaxxer beliefs are probably rooted in fear. They most likely started with a few people who have had negative experiences with vaccines and other medical procedures. Because of the swelling amount of people who are anti-vaxx, children are getting otherwise more rare illnesses such as the measles/rubella.
Also, because of the dangers of fake news, it’s easier for people to endorse a conspiracy theory. People don’t know how to tell the difference between fake news/conspiracies and actual, legitimate, trustworthy information. Once a conspiracy gains traction and reaches a bigger audience of people, it’s hard for others to accept and seek out the truth.
I think that sometimes conspiracy theories can be fun if they are not taken too seriously. If you just interpret them as a joke or an interesting, different idea then they are just entertaining and interesting to research what people believe. But once conspiracy theories are taken too seriously they can become dangerous. Often, conspiracy theories are about something real, like a historical event, but are mostly false, like what they believe to have caused the event. I think this especially can make it difficult for a lot of people to see when history becomes fiction. This can lead to people believing what they think are facts but were just made up. I also know that even if conspiracy theories are a joke, certain people can become upset by them. It just depends on how serious the theory is and whether people are acting on it or not.
Conspiracy theories have always interested me. A Youtuber named Shane Dawson used to make lots of videos about conspiracy theories. Some have to do with famous people, flat earth, the government's secrets, etc. My family sometimes debates about them. Once, we had a whole 1 hour sit down about the earth being flat because my aunt-in-law is convinced that the earth is flat and the government is trying to trick us. We got into science, religion, beliefs, and a bunch of other stuff that can be possible evidence for our cases. In my opinion, I do think some conspiracy theories may be true, but the earth is definitely not flat.
1
I don’t really watch a whole lot of conspiracy theory videos on Youtube, but once in a while I will just to see how outlandish it is. They are fun to watch but when I click on it I know that this is a conspiracy theory and I should not believe what I watch here. I know that some of these conspiracy theories can be just to get a reaction out of people. Although they are fun to watch, if you do take them seriously, then you might end up doing something rash and that could be dangerous. Yes I think they can be dangerous, but if you go into the video with the right mindset, knowing that this is a conspiracy theory, then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
1
I watch a lot of youtube but I don’t really enjoy watching conspiracy theories. If I do watch a conspiracy theory then I just laugh it off as something to think about but not to believe in. While some videos about theories can be harmful I really think that the vast majority of these videos are for comedic effect and not to spread a harmful belief or way of thinking, This comedy is why conspiracy theories have become so popular and why more serious videos are now showing up.
1
In my opinion I think that conspiracy theories are usually just harmless besides the fact that they can cause tensions between citizens and the government. For example the flat earth theory in which people believe that the earth is flat. There is no harm in the theory but it causes people to think that the government is lying to them. But there are rare chances that conspiracy theories can cause danger to people, an example being the theory that vaccinations cause autism or other disorders and that they can have bad side effects on your children. Due to this theory many parents started to not vaccinate their children which is very dangerous and causes the child to have a higher chance to die or have very severe symptoms to a disease their immune system could have fought off easily if they had gotten the vaccination for that disease.
1
@Joseph Chen
I partly agree. Yes, not all theories are harmful, but some can be blatantly wrong and that can cause harm. For example, the "flat earth" theory. This theory is wrong in so many ways, and it does bring tensions with the government, but that is the harm. If people don't trust their governments, then people will begin to not trust anyone- this can be bad.
To me, conspiracy theories are just fun and interesting videos that don’t seem to pose any threat. It seems that most people are aware that the conspiracy theories aren’t real. I believe one of the reasons that conspiracy theories can become so popular is because of how outrageously wrong most of them are. People will share the videos because of how crazy they seem. I don’t think conspiracy theories are dangerous, most theories are popular because people think they’re just incorrect.
2
Thanks for your comment! It does seem to be true that some portion of the audience watch conspiracy theories as entertainment. However, other conspiracy theories, such as QAnon, seem to be more nefarious and have begun to seep into the real world. See our article on that: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/09/us/politics/qanon-trump-conspiracy-theory.html
I don’t really believe in conspiracy theories and I just dismiss them as fake until I see evidence. I do often make fun of conspiracy theories and joke about them. Some examples would be like the illuminati or the flat earth society. I don’t watch conspiracy theory videos but I watch videos making fun of conspiracy theories because it's hilarious. So in all conspiracy theories are fake but funny and you should make fun of them.
1
I don’t believe conspiracy theories are at all dangerous because they are made for the purpose of getting views and publicity. People find these interesting and watch them for entertainment, I believe people are well aware that these theories are fictional. Moreover, these theories are used as common banter or arguments. Although if some people take these videos seriously and take it public, it might alarm other people to stress over something harmless, making it dangerous.
I feel like online conspiracy are not that dangerous because so many people watch them since they are interesting rather than factual. The thought that something may be hidden in Area 51 and what it is can be a common conversation starter. If by chance though people got too attached the these ideas and did things about it and made a big deal then maybe it could be dangerous, but until then they are just enjoyable videos that give a different view point on common events and places.
I don't watch a lot of YouTube videos anymore as I now prefer to listen to music on Pandora or watch Netflix. I have watched a few videos before that discussed conspiracy theories but I never really believed any of these videos. Sometimes you can easily tell if something is real or fake as some factors are really noticeable. Other times it could be really hard to tell if something is real or fake and you would have to look up another source to find out.
I'm not really concerned about people believing conspiracy theories as not many would really do anything about it. The Area 51 raid that happened last year, on the other hand, was maybe one of few things that caused a public upbringing. My family doesn't take this seriously and my friends sometimes like watching it. I feel like some conspiracy theories could be dangerous while others are probably just made for fun.