This Master's thesis deals with conspiracy theories and disinformation, a topic received with insufficient attention in the field of international relations. The phenomenon constitutes one of the most distinctive features of the Islamic world; therefore, it has significant importance for the Western foreign policy towards the region. The thesis is divided into four chapters and aims to provide Western countries with a set of foreign-policy recommendations in relation to the phenomenon of conspiracy theories and disinformation in the Islamic world. The thesis does so on the basis of a thorough analysis of the general mechanisms of conspiracy theories (1st chapter), and the specific conditions and circumstances of their emergence and dissemination in the Islamic world (2nd chapter). The study of the case of Aafia Siddiqui (3rd chapter) leads to the conclusion that the implication of conspiracy theories and disinformation in the activities of Islamic extremist groups represents a serious security threat for the Western countries, which the current policy leaves with no adequate response (4th chapter). As an outcome, the thesis proposes ten basic principles which should serve to the Western countries as a guideline for their approach to conspiracy theories and disinformation in the Islamic world. The main import of this thesis lies in it being one of the first attempts with regard to the researched topic to perform a comprehensive analysis with practical outcomes.

Bakgrund: Människan har genom alla tider trott att händelser i världen är resultatet av en konspiration och ungefär hälften av befolkningen idag tror på minst en konspirationsteori. Mycket psykologisk forskning har gjorts för att försöka förklara vilka psykologiska aspekter som bidrar till att vi tror på dessa föreställningar, men resultatet av forskningen varierar och det är svårt att tillämpa den praktiskt. Inom forskningen har detta förklarats som en effekt av att det saknas experimentella studier på området, men än så länge har ingen sammanställning av den empiriska forskningen gjorts. Syfte: Syftet med studien var därför att sammanställa och beskriva den empiriska forskningen om psykologiska aspekters påverkan på tro på konspirationsteorier. Utöver detta besvarades även frågeställningarna: • Vilka psykologiska aspekter beskrivs i de inkluderade studierna? • Hur har konspirationsteorier mätts och vilka konspirationsteorier har undersökts i den sammanställda forskningen? Metod: För att svara på syftet och frågeställningarna har en översikt med systematisk litteratursökning, granskning och kodning använts som metod. Av 500 identifierade artiklar inkluderades 28 studier i översikten. Resultatet av översikten har presenterats genom en narrativ sammanställning. Resultat: Sammanställningen av de 28 inkluderade studierna visar att tro på konspirationsteorier sammanlagt har mätts på 33 olika sätt och mätinstrumenten huvudsakligen innehåller items om specifika konspirationsteorier. 24 av 28 studier redovisar signifikant resultat på minst en psykologisk aspekt och i den inkluderande litteraturen förekommer nästan lika många olika psykologiska aspekter som antalet inkluderade artiklar. Slutsats: Den empiriska forskningen om vilka psykologiska aspekter som påverkar tro på konspirationsteorier är mycket heterogen, både i hur den mäter effekten på konspirationsteorier och vad den sedan kommer fram till. Slutsatsen är därför att variationen i forskningsresultaten inte är en följd av bristen på experimentella studier, utan är istället en konsekvens av att det saknas ett gemensamt teoretiskt ramverk för hur man ska förstå och studera fenomenet. / Introduction: People have always believed that events are caused by conspiracies, and approximately half of the population today believe in at least one conspiracy theory. Much psychological research has been devoted to attempting to elucidate the psychological aspects that contribute to our belief in conspiracy theories. However, the results have been variegated and difficult to generalize. Within the field, this heterogeneity has been explained as a result of a lack of experimental studies on the subject, but hitherto no overview has been undertaken to systematically synthesize current empirical research. Aim: The aim of this study was therefore to synthesize and describe the research on the impact of psychological aspects on belief in conspiracy theories. Aside from this general aim, the study sought to answer the following questions: • Which psychological aspects are described in the included studies? • How has belief in conspiracy theories been measured and which conspiracy theories have been examined in the included literature? Method: In line with the above aim and questions, a review was conducted, which included a systematic literature search, screening, and coding. Of 500 identified records, 28 were included in the review. The results of the review were presented narratively. Results: The review of the 28 included articles show that belief in conspiracy theories in toto has been measured in 33 different ways, and that the measures in general contain items regarding specific conspiracy theories. 24 out of 28 studies report a significant effect on at least one psychological aspect. Overall, there are almost as many different psychological aspects in the reviewed literature as there are articles. Conclusion: The empirical research on which psychological aspects that affect belief in conspiracy theories is highly heterogenous, regarding both how it measures effects on conspiracy theories and what conclusions it draws. Thus, the conclusion is that the disparity within the research is not due to the lack of experimental studies; rather, it can be attributed to a lack of a common theoretical framework for conceptualizing and studying the phenomenon.

This thesis describes and explains rumours as sociological phenomenon. It deals with circumstances under which rumour arises, how it spreads and how it persists in society. It also deals with the prerequisites for understanding the transmission and any believing in rumour. Emphasis is placed on understanding the rumours without negative connotations which is mostly attributed to it. The theory of fictional worlds brings idea that rumour should not be always fictional, fictitious and a priori negative, but rather should be considered as possibly true, especially in terms of the phenomenon, which it refers. It does not matter how many different variations of the rumour story exist, since all create a frame of reference through which is better spread the rumour; adoption of the rumours is not a sign of fiction, but rather a prerequisite to embed among people. The thesis promotes the view that a rumour is spread mainly due to its content and message, which is mainly a warning. The aim is not to pass the exact story, but to warn about a phenomenon that occurs in society. It is not important wheather the rumour is true in each detail, because the only important aspect is truth of phenomenon which the rumour refers to. Keywords Rumour, theory of possible worlds, conspiracy theories, contemporary legend,...

At the crossroads of law, conspiracy theory research and philosophy, this thesis investigates the permanent ban of QAnon from Facebook and Twitter, determining whether their deplatforming constitutes a violation of free speech. By first conducting a content analysis of free speech legislation in Germany and the US, it becomes evident that the matter needs to be approached from an ethical perspective rather than a legal one. To this end, I am testing an ethical framework suggested by Cíbik and Hardoš (2020). Based on the concept of ethical unreasonableness, the framework will be used to determine whether QAnon is harmful and its ban was justified. The case study consists of an in-depth analysis of QAnon’s evolution, distribution and core narratives in Germany and the US, followed by an examination of Facebook and Twitter’s justifications for deplatforming all QAnon assets. The ethical framework will then be applied to selected QAnon narratives based on their prevalence in the time from February 2020 to February 2021. It becomes clear that the ethical framework at hand needs to be adjusted and is unsuitable for everyday content moderation but should still be used by the social media companies for training purposes to improve decision making. The question of whether deplatforming QAnon was a violation of free speech is not easily answered as depending on the point of view it is or is not a violation of freedom of speech. Ultimately, big social media companies need to be redefined as to their role and responsibilities in today’s societies before any content moderation measures can be adequately examined.

This study researches anti-vaccine discourses related to the COVID-19 vaccine shared on the Flashback forum in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021-2022). Using a framework of Critical Discourse Analysis and Actor-Network Theory, the goal of the study is to identify the components of conspiratorial anti-Covid vaccine discourses on the Flashback forum, and unpack how conspiracy theories related to the COVID-19 vaccine found in the sample can contribute to diminishing trust in authorities in the Swedish context.  Departing from Berlet’s (2009) list of eight common scapegoats, the study demonstrates how universally present stereotypes of various ‘Others’ commonly invoked within the context of conspiracy theories are adapted in the national and social context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden. Results of the study discuss how traditional conspiracy theory elements find their way into the analyzed Flashback thread, and how their evocation is discursively used to undermine trust in Swedish authorities and government organs during the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, this study contributes to filling a gap in research on the online dissemination of conspiracy theories and its effect on institutional trust and support for (and consecutively, adoption of) regulations put forward by these institutions – an immensely dangerous phenomenon in times of a global health crisis. The study concludes by suggesting further research on how effects such as anonymity online intersect with a growing polarization of society.

Purpose–This study has examined the information behaviour and perception of information in a group ofinformation users who have a critical approach to the media and the information supply. Some of them call themselvesor are being called conspiracy theorists. The purpose was to examine how their information behaviour is influenced by the belief that the information is biased or inaccurate and what the information behaviour looks like when the user searches for discrepancies rather than a response to a question. Method–The study is based on transcribed interviews and email responses to interview questions. The model used to analyze the source material is Christine Bruceʼs seven categories of information literacy as presented in Seven Faces of Information Literacy. The outcome is compared with other user studies. Subsequently, the source material has been studied through Michel Foucaultʼs discourse theory. Focus is on power, anti-discourses and institutions. Findings–The analyses have shown that the informants have a sufficiently uniform information behaviour to be studied as a user group. Their information behaviour is focused on different strategies for evaluating information and understanding courses of events. This behaviour is based on a critical approach to what is considered as "truth" in the discourse. Originality/value–The user group has not been studied before in LIS research. Paper type–This is a two years master’s thesis in library and information science in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

This paper sought to examine conspiracy theory (CT) use across three types of groups: radical violent extremists (RVE), non-violent extremists, and moderates. Using the theory of significance quest, or the desire for one’s life to have meaning (Kruglanski, Chen, Dechesne, Fishman, & Orehek, 2009), I sought to determine whether RVE groups were more likely to use CTs, invoke need for cognitive closure (NFCC) via the use of time pressure, elicit anomie, and promote significance quest through violence than the other groups. Using text analysis software, I pulled passages from six groups – two from each level of extremism - that had conspiratorial language and then coded for the variables described above. RVE groups were significantly more likely than the other groups to use CTs and invoke NFCC through time pressure but were less likely than non-violent groups to elicit anomie. In addition, RVE groups were more likely to promote significance gain through action, but not significance restoration or prevention of significance loss. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Du 11 septembre aux extraterrestres, des camps de concentration américains à l'assassinat de Kennedy, cette thèse a pour objectif d'éclairer sous un angle sociopolitique les fondements, les mécanismes et les enjeux de la pensée conspirationniste aux États-Unis depuis la révolution jusqu'à nos jours. S'il ne s'agit pas de dresser un catalogue exhaustif de toutes les théories du complot en vogue, le but demeure de démontrer que le conspirationnisme est un véritable fait social aux États-Unis, un élément de culture politique et populaire. Cette thèse se propose alors d'étudier les rouages et les origines du conspirationnisme sous trois aspects différents et complémentaires qui forment un triangle. D'abord, sous l'angle factuel, c'est-à-dire en étudiant les thèses du complot relatives à un événement extraordinaire (9/11, assassinat de JFK, etc.). Ensuite, sous l'angle des acteurs du conspirationnisme : les leaders conspirationnistes (LaRouche, Icke, etc.), les citoyens enquêteurs et les boucs-émissaires (communistes, juifs, illuminatis, etc.). Enfin, sous l'angle culturel en mettant en perspective le conspirationnisme avec la culture américaine : l'anti-étatisme, la présence de mafias ou encore le cinéma de masse. / From 9/11 to UFOs, from American concentration camps to the Kennedy's assassination, this dissertation aims to enlighten, through a sociopolitical analysis, the grounds, the mechanics and the goals of the conspiratorial thought in the United States since the Revolution. Even Though it is no question to draw an exhaustive catalog of each and every conspiracy theory, I would stress that conspiracism is part of the American political and popular culture. Then, this dissertation studies the origins and the developments of conspiracism through three complementary focuses. First, a factual approach which dwells on specific conspiracy theories such as the 9/11 attacks or the assassination of Kennedy. Secondly, I will come on the actors of conspiracism : the conspiracist leaders (LaRouche, Icke) the citizens sleuths and the scapegoats (Communists, Jews, Illuminatis). Finally, under a cultural angle, I will outlook conspiracism and the American culture of anti-statism, the presence of mafias or the role of mass-medias.

Embedding itself in the larger discussion on protests against measures taken by governments all over the world to mitigate the effects of the covid-19 pandemic, this work concerns itself with the role of the Holocaust in narratives found in prominent Telegram channels and chat groups of German covid-protests. Building on the existing body of research, it uses the theoretical framework of New Social Movement (NSM) theory to categorise the protests in Germany. Choosing a mixed-methods design, the phenomenon is described using narrative analysis, computer-assisted coding, and elements of network analysis. The narrative analysis and results of computer-assisted coding, find that the Holocaust is narrated as a valid comparison to pandemic politics, while some Telegram channels engage in historical revisionism. The network analysis reveals a large network of Telegram channels, strengthening the importance of the analysed channels for the protests in Germany

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