COVID-19 has been the main topic of conversation for the past year. Many of these conversations, however, spread false information that can have detrimental impacts on public health, undermining scientific data & public safety. In the age of information, misinformation is also easily spread through the internet & social media.

In honor of the Global and International Health Week at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, this is our digital project to critically debunk COVID-19 conspiracy theories on a global scale.

Art by Mr TT via Unsplash

What's a Conspiracy Theory?

“The conviction that a secret, omnipotent individual or group covertly controls the political and social order”

(Fenster, 2008, p. 1)

How do they work?

Conspiracy theories can provide a simple explanation for unusual events, especially for people who distrust powerful institutions. Often these theories rely on myths with extreme leaps of logic that oversimplify the political, economic & social structures of power (Fenster, 2008).

Art via Pinterest

Conspiracism can be identified as having three fundamental traits: nothing happens by accident, nothing is at it seems & everything is connected. (Ward & Voas, 2011)

Art by Charles Deluvio via Unsplash

What binds conspiracy theorists together, regardless of their political or ideological affiliation, is a common opposition to the ‘Establishment.’ At the same time, people who share the same identity and ideology may also find conspiracies attractive.

"History is much more the product of chaos than of conspiracy"

Zbigniew Brzezinski