,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Why some theories
have blamed the pandemic on communications technology
.
During this pandemic it is of utmost
importance to stay cool-headed, and distinguish between real versus illusory
patterns using the principles of logic, reason, and science
.
During this pandemic it is of utmost
importance to stay cool-headed, and distinguish between real versus illusory
patterns using the principles of logic, reason, and science
Jan-Willem van Prooijen Ph.D.
Distressing times stimulate conspiracy theories, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception.
At the start of the outbreak, one prominent
theory suggested that the coronavirus is a dangerous biological weapon,
designed by human beings in a military lab in Wuhan.
But recently a different conspiracy theory
has gained momentum, claiming that national governments and network companies
have enabled the pandemic through the radiation of 5G networks.
Different variants of the theory exist.
Some assume that not the coronavirus but 5G
radiation is the real cause of COVID-19;
others assume that 5G networks have lowered
people’s immune response to the virus;
and yet others assume that 5G networks
facilitate the spread of the coronavirus.
To bolster these theories, reports have
claimed it is no coincidence that the world’s first 5G-masts were in Wuhan — a
misleading claim as 5G was piloted in multiple cities, and there have been
severe COVID-19 outbreaks in parts of the world without any 5G network (e.g.,
Iran).
Despite a lack of evidence and logic, these
conspiracy theories have been frequently shared through social media.
Also well-known public figures have
promulgated the theory.
In the US, the actor Woody Harrelson has
sparked controversy by expressing support for the theory on Instagram.
In the UK, around 65,000 people watched a
livestream of the conspiracy theorist David Icke about the presumed link
between 5G and COVID-19.
How do such conspiracy theories emerge, and
how harmful are they?
Fears of 5G networks existed well before the
virus outbreak.
These fears included health concerns, but
also that 5G would allow governmental institutions unprecedented control over
the lives of citizens.
COVID-19 has made both of these fears a
reality.
Citizens are at increased risk of contracting
a dangerous illness, and their usual freedoms are heavily constrained by
governmental lockdown measures to reduce the spread of the virus.
In their minds, conspiracy theorists have
connected these dots, creating the illusion of a link between COVID-19 and 5G
networks.
In principle, there is nothing unusual about
people mentally connecting dots.
The human mind is equipped with the
functional capacity to detect patterns: Meaningful and existing causal
relationships, that enable people to understand and predict their environment.
In fact, the whole scientific enterprise is
about detecting and understanding existing patterns, and everyone benefits from
that.
Smoking causes cancer, and CO2 emissions
cause global warming — useful knowledge that may help people protect their
health and the world’s future.
When people feel anxious or threatened,
however, the pattern-seeking mechanisms of the mind sometimes overreact,
leading people to detect causal relationships between stimuli that in fact are
unrelated — illusory pattern perception.
Such illusory pattern perception is part of
conspiracy thinking.
Research reveals that seeing patterns in a
range of coin toss outcomes (that actually were generated through a random
process) predicts how strongly people believe conspiracy theories (Van Prooijen,
Douglas, & De Inocencio, 2018).
In their desire to understand the pandemic,
conspiracy theorists have drawn illusory patterns in their minds, leading them
to blame modern communication technology.
While originating from a distortion of an
otherwise normal mental process, conspiracy theories linking 5G networks with
the coronavirus are far from harmless.
The patterns that people believe exist in the
world determines their behavior.
I trust science, and am convinced that
smoking causes cancer; therefore, I do not smoke.
When people believe that 5G networks causes
the most impactful global crisis in decades, they will respond to that too.
One possible consequence of conspiracy
thinking is hostility.
If people believe that a conspiracy threatens
the life and well-being of large groups of innocent citizens, they may show
resistance — effectively, they turn into freedom fighters trying to oppose an
imaginary enemy.
This can have real consequences, however.
In various EU countries – the UK, and the
Netherlands – activists have put 5G masts on fire, and police officials
strongly suspect a link with COVID-19 conspiracy theories.
Also public health is at risk because of such
conspiracy theories.
Recall that some theories assume that not the
coronavirus but 5G radiation causes COVID-19.
Such a belief may lead people to avoid being
in the vicinity of 5G masts yet ignore the safety regulations of health
officials.
More generally, conspiracy theories go hand
in hand with low trust in evidence-based medical science.
Anti-vaxx movements thrive on conspiracy
theories, and conspiracy beliefs are associated with a preference for
alternative medical approaches to cure illnesses (Lamberty & Imhoff, 2018).
Such responses reflect the irony of
conspiracy thinking: In an attempt to protect themselves and others, people
actually make things worse by rejecting the science and communication
technology that is sorely needed in times like these.
During this pandemic it is of utmost
importance to stay cool-headed, and distinguish between real versus illusory
patterns using the principles of logic, reason, and science.
Jan-Willem
van Prooijen,
Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the department of Experimental and Applied
Psychology of VU Amsterdam and a Senior Researcher at the Netherlands Institute
for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR).
Online:
janwillemvanprooijen.com
No comments:
Post a Comment