There are hordes of people who want to be fooled by Active Measures and ordinary malcontents.
The research I've been able to find on belief in conspiracy theory followers seems to point to minds that are so disturbed by a world that contains random events that they'd rather believe in some evil cabal that makes bad things happen. (Maybe because it seems somehow possible to discover and overthrow a hidden evil cabal than to make a disorderly universe orderly?) There also seems to be a correlation with reilgiosity, which seems a bit unsurprising as most religions train you to believe things without good evidence, and to avoid good evidence in favor of faith.
It'd be fine if these were harmless chatter, but they are actively exploited to undermine trust in institutions and science, and that literally kills people.
>[...] they'd rather believe in some evil cabal that makes bad things happen.
The flip-side of this is also true. Many people reflexively reject alternative theories because it makes them uncomfortable to feel like they're being manipulated by powerful actors. I'm not saying that's the case with 9/11, although, I suspect we were never told the total truth about that day (as with most big news stories.)
The frustrating thing is that there are people who will simultaneously be skeptical that oil and coal companies have worked to downplay the risks of global warming and slow the adoption of green energy, while believing that a car engine that runs on pure water was invented in the 70s but suppressed.
I do agree that undermining all trust in science, education and things like this is generally bad. I just think if someone is a serious flat earther, I'm not going to convince them otherwise, and I'd rather just enjoy the rest of my day.
There are hordes of people who want to be fooled by Active Measures and ordinary malcontents.
The research I've been able to find on belief in conspiracy theory followers seems to point to minds that are so disturbed by a world that contains random events that they'd rather believe in some evil cabal that makes bad things happen. (Maybe because it seems somehow possible to discover and overthrow a hidden evil cabal than to make a disorderly universe orderly?) There also seems to be a correlation with reilgiosity, which seems a bit unsurprising as most religions train you to believe things without good evidence, and to avoid good evidence in favor of faith.
It'd be fine if these were harmless chatter, but they are actively exploited to undermine trust in institutions and science, and that literally kills people.