Researchers Professor Jesper ³§³Ù°ùö³¾²ú䳦°ì, Dr. Elina Lindgren, and Postdoctoral Researcher Mathilda Ã…kerlund at the Department of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMG) have received funding for a research project from the Swedish Research Council.
The project, titled "Conspiratorial Thinking and Digital Media: A Study of a Complex Relationship," will run from 2025 to 2028 and focuses on the relationship between digital media usage and conspiratorial mentality, as well as belief in specific conspiracy theories.
About the Project
Despite the widespread nature of conspiracy theories, especially in digital media, the relationship between digital media and conspiratorial thinking is more complex than often assumed. Through a combination of panel surveys, experiments, computational methods, and discourse analysis, the project aims to answer three main questions:
How does different types of digital media usage affect conspiratorial thinking and belief in specific theories over time?
What characteristics define conspiratorial language in different media types, and how do these environments influence its prevalence?
How is conspiratorial thinking triggered by exposure to conspiracy theories in digital media?
Three Questions for Professor Jesper ³§³Ù°ùö³¾²ú䳦°ì
Why is this important to research this today?
- There is much to suggest that information about various conspiracy theories has become much more common and widely available, especially through social media, alternative media, and various discussion forums. It becomes easier for those seeking such information to find it and to find like-minded individuals. This also increases the likelihood that people will be exposed to various conspiracy theories by chance. The use of conspiracy theories as a weapon in political communication by right-wing populist actors is also becoming more common. This can lead to increased belief in conspiracy theories, which in turn can have a range of negative consequences.
What do you hope to achieve with the project?
- The short answer is increased knowledge about how conspiracy theories are communicated through various media, how the interaction between media usage and conspiratorial disposition and belief in specific conspiracy theories looks, and how belief in conspiracy theories is activated and triggered. An important question concerns the presence of selection effects (that conspiratorial disposition affects media usage), media effects (that media usage affects the degree of conspiratorial disposition and belief in specific conspiracy theories), and spiral effects (where media usage, conspiratorial disposition, and belief in specific conspiracy theories are mutually reinforcing over time).
What does the support from the Swedish Research Council mean for you as a researcher, for the research, and for the institution?
- It is very significant as it makes it possible for me and my co-applicant colleagues Elina Lindgren and Mathilda Ã…kerlund to research a socially and scientifically important topic, while also strengthening the institution's reputation and finances.
There is tough competition among those who submit applications for research projects to the Swedish Research Council; this year, about nine percent were approved. It is great and important for JMG to receive this trust from the Swedish Research Council. Congratulations to Jesper ³§³Ù°ùö³¾²ú䳦°ì, Elina Lindgren, and Mathilda Ã…kerlund!
Text: Elin Andersson & Annie Rolén
