Conspirators Before Social Media

I feel like we’re at the point where we can agree the internet and social media are a catalyst for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories. As I’ve mentioned before, conspiracy theories have been around longer than the advent of social media and the internet. So, without those platforms, how were conspiracy theories spread?

Let’s consider the intended purpose of social media. Is it to communicate with others? Or is it to spread information? Both of those actions existed before social media and the internet. One of the only reasons we are seeing the true effects of conspiracy theories on society is because of the internet and social media. Without those tools at our fingertips almost every hour of every day, we would be in the dark.

This is something hard to imagine, but what was life like before the internet? Were people more knowledgeable about the truth, or were they more ignorant because they did not have access to the facts? That’s what I want to consider in this blog post, while the internet is certainly spreading these theories and misinformation at a more rapid pace, there was a time before social media when conspirators still existed and spread their opinions.

Conspiracy theories are often used as defense mechanisms against the unknown. This is something true to this day, and has been observed in the past. Some of the threats we observe today have been around for what seems like forever, so what has social media done to help spread these threats or hinder their growth?

A major conspiracy theory from the 1980s related to the board game Dungeons and Dragons. If you’re a fan of “Stranger Things” and are caught up on the new season, you’re familiar with the character Eddie Munson. I’m not going to spoil anything for those who haven’t watched it, but to make an insanely long story short, Munson is a Dungeon Master for his D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) group and finds himself the center of a conspiracy theory. Even though “Stranger Things” is a fictional show, there is some history to the theory regarding Dungeons and Dragons.

Players of the game were seen as devil worshippers and satanists. The game was blamed for corrupting the nation’s youth, and people believed the game had the power to summon demons or spirits.

Social media, not even the internet, existed during this time. How did this theory spread? Most people cite mass hysteria brought upon by a lack facts and lies indistinguishable from the truth. This information, or misinformation, was spread by the word of mouth, not the internet or social media.

While the internet and social media certainly have become a catalyst for the spreading of conspiracy theories and misinformation, they are also amazing fact checkers, as long as people know how to find credible sources. It is important to realize that conspiracy theories have always existed, but we are only now seeing their effect on society because of the accessibility of information.

I want to hear from my readers - do you think conspiracy theories were more harmful back when there was a lack of accessibility to truthful information? Or are they more harmful now, when people have more than enough information at theiri fingertips?