What happens when your AI companion becomes your cult leader. What a crazy story. #ConspiracyThinking
People are having very strange conversations with ChatGPT, in which they discover secret cabals or conspiracies or that we are all in fact living in The Matrix.
It sends these people into delusional spirals.
Then ChatGPT tells them to email me about it.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/t...
It sends these people into delusional spirals.
Then ChatGPT tells them to email me about it.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/t...
They Asked an A.I. Chatbot Questions. The Answers Sent Them Spiraling.
www.nytimes.com
June 13, 2025 at 1:42 PM
What happens when your AI companion becomes your cult leader. What a crazy story. #ConspiracyThinking
Next up:
Conspiracy Beliefs Aren’t Irrational — They’re Protective
#ConspiracyThinking #TrustCrisis #CognitiveWarfare
10/10
Conspiracy Beliefs Aren’t Irrational — They’re Protective
#ConspiracyThinking #TrustCrisis #CognitiveWarfare
10/10
March 27, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Next up:
Conspiracy Beliefs Aren’t Irrational — They’re Protective
#ConspiracyThinking #TrustCrisis #CognitiveWarfare
10/10
Conspiracy Beliefs Aren’t Irrational — They’re Protective
#ConspiracyThinking #TrustCrisis #CognitiveWarfare
10/10
Hashtags used in this series:
#ConspiracyTheories
#CognitiveDefense
#EmotionalLiteracy
#EmotionalAwareness
#CognitiveSecurity
#ConspiracyThinking
#SelfAwareness
#EmotionalProcessing
#ConspiracyPsychology
9/10
#ConspiracyTheories
#CognitiveDefense
#EmotionalLiteracy
#EmotionalAwareness
#CognitiveSecurity
#ConspiracyThinking
#SelfAwareness
#EmotionalProcessing
#ConspiracyPsychology
9/10
March 27, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Bottom line:
Some conspiracy believers don’t need more facts.
They need help understanding themselves.
And until they do, confidence will keep driving them… deeper into the dark.
#ConspiracyThinking #SelfAwareness #CognitiveDefense
Some conspiracy believers don’t need more facts.
They need help understanding themselves.
And until they do, confidence will keep driving them… deeper into the dark.
#ConspiracyThinking #SelfAwareness #CognitiveDefense
March 27, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Bottom line:
Some conspiracy believers don’t need more facts.
They need help understanding themselves.
And until they do, confidence will keep driving them… deeper into the dark.
#ConspiracyThinking #SelfAwareness #CognitiveDefense
Some conspiracy believers don’t need more facts.
They need help understanding themselves.
And until they do, confidence will keep driving them… deeper into the dark.
#ConspiracyThinking #SelfAwareness #CognitiveDefense
Bottom line:
Cynicism isn’t thinking.
Paranoia isn’t discernment.
If we want a society that resists conspiracy thinking, we need to train minds — not just correct them.
Teach discernment. It works.
#ConspiracyThinking #Discernment #CognitiveSecurity
Cynicism isn’t thinking.
Paranoia isn’t discernment.
If we want a society that resists conspiracy thinking, we need to train minds — not just correct them.
Teach discernment. It works.
#ConspiracyThinking #Discernment #CognitiveSecurity
March 27, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Bottom line:
Cynicism isn’t thinking.
Paranoia isn’t discernment.
If we want a society that resists conspiracy thinking, we need to train minds — not just correct them.
Teach discernment. It works.
#ConspiracyThinking #Discernment #CognitiveSecurity
Cynicism isn’t thinking.
Paranoia isn’t discernment.
If we want a society that resists conspiracy thinking, we need to train minds — not just correct them.
Teach discernment. It works.
#ConspiracyThinking #Discernment #CognitiveSecurity
Build the bridge. Then walk it with them.
Bottom line:
Don’t just fact-check. Connect.
Conspiracy thinking doesn’t begin with bad data — it begins with broken trust.
And trust is where healing starts.
#ConspiracyThinking #CognitiveDefense #TrustFirst
Bottom line:
Don’t just fact-check. Connect.
Conspiracy thinking doesn’t begin with bad data — it begins with broken trust.
And trust is where healing starts.
#ConspiracyThinking #CognitiveDefense #TrustFirst
March 27, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Build the bridge. Then walk it with them.
Bottom line:
Don’t just fact-check. Connect.
Conspiracy thinking doesn’t begin with bad data — it begins with broken trust.
And trust is where healing starts.
#ConspiracyThinking #CognitiveDefense #TrustFirst
Bottom line:
Don’t just fact-check. Connect.
Conspiracy thinking doesn’t begin with bad data — it begins with broken trust.
And trust is where healing starts.
#ConspiracyThinking #CognitiveDefense #TrustFirst
So Graham visits Ukraine, comes home, has a "brief" illness and drops dead of a heart attack?
My first thought was Putin poisoned him.
#ConspiracyThinking
My first thought was Putin poisoned him.
#ConspiracyThinking
July 12, 2026 at 3:15 PM
So Graham visits Ukraine, comes home, has a "brief" illness and drops dead of a heart attack?
My first thought was Putin poisoned him.
#ConspiracyThinking
My first thought was Putin poisoned him.
#ConspiracyThinking
“Once a public accepts the comfort of #conspiracythinking as an explanation for #irrational #fears and #resentments, its members will cease to be guided by #reason in #political deliberations.” - #JasonStanley, How #Fascism Works: The #Politics of Us and Them
#conspiracytheories
#conspiracytheories
April 15, 2025 at 12:23 PM
“Once a public accepts the comfort of #conspiracythinking as an explanation for #irrational #fears and #resentments, its members will cease to be guided by #reason in #political deliberations.” - #JasonStanley, How #Fascism Works: The #Politics of Us and Them
#conspiracytheories
#conspiracytheories
Bottom line:
Overthinking + unprocessed emotion = vulnerability to seductive fiction.
To fight conspiracy belief, don’t just give facts.
Break the loop. Stop the spin.
Then tell the story that’s actually real.
#CognitiveDefense #EmotionalResilience #ConspiracyThinking
Overthinking + unprocessed emotion = vulnerability to seductive fiction.
To fight conspiracy belief, don’t just give facts.
Break the loop. Stop the spin.
Then tell the story that’s actually real.
#CognitiveDefense #EmotionalResilience #ConspiracyThinking
March 27, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Bottom line:
Overthinking + unprocessed emotion = vulnerability to seductive fiction.
To fight conspiracy belief, don’t just give facts.
Break the loop. Stop the spin.
Then tell the story that’s actually real.
#CognitiveDefense #EmotionalResilience #ConspiracyThinking
Overthinking + unprocessed emotion = vulnerability to seductive fiction.
To fight conspiracy belief, don’t just give facts.
Break the loop. Stop the spin.
Then tell the story that’s actually real.
#CognitiveDefense #EmotionalResilience #ConspiracyThinking
... opponents had been misled by misinformation". Believe? Believe??? It's the damned clear truth conservatives have fallen into conspiracythinking. What alternate both sides reality are these people living?
Really weird these people say they work in Jo Cox's name. 🤨
Really weird these people say they work in Jo Cox's name. 🤨
February 20, 2025 at 3:49 PM
... opponents had been misled by misinformation". Believe? Believe??? It's the damned clear truth conservatives have fallen into conspiracythinking. What alternate both sides reality are these people living?
Really weird these people say they work in Jo Cox's name. 🤨
Really weird these people say they work in Jo Cox's name. 🤨
Exactly. There's literally no reason to assume they are false and I wish people stayed away from that type of conspiracythinking. It's a real life court case, not some juicy internet drama or a spy movie.
September 17, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Exactly. There's literally no reason to assume they are false and I wish people stayed away from that type of conspiracythinking. It's a real life court case, not some juicy internet drama or a spy movie.
We've been sharing our research - one thing is clear: #conspiracythinking isn’t just about beliefs. It’s about emotions, identity, and the way people experience democracy.
@stefanchristoph.bsky.social @galais.bsky.social @mguinjoan.bsky.social @aleferna.bsky.social
tact-forsed.eu/2026/07/13/f...
@stefanchristoph.bsky.social @galais.bsky.social @mguinjoan.bsky.social @aleferna.bsky.social
tact-forsed.eu/2026/07/13/f...
From Belief to Behaviour: How Conspiracies Shape Democratic Life - TaCT-FoRSED
What happens when some stories told to explain the world stop being just stories—and begin reshaping democracy itself?
tact-forsed.eu
July 13, 2026 at 9:40 AM
We've been sharing our research - one thing is clear: #conspiracythinking isn’t just about beliefs. It’s about emotions, identity, and the way people experience democracy.
@stefanchristoph.bsky.social @galais.bsky.social @mguinjoan.bsky.social @aleferna.bsky.social
tact-forsed.eu/2026/07/13/f...
@stefanchristoph.bsky.social @galais.bsky.social @mguinjoan.bsky.social @aleferna.bsky.social
tact-forsed.eu/2026/07/13/f...
Why There Probably Isn’t a “Smoking Gun” in the Epstein Files
#EpsteinFiles #ConspiracyThinking #MediaLiteracy
#EpsteinFiles #ConspiracyThinking #MediaLiteracy
December 22, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Why There Probably Isn’t a “Smoking Gun” in the Epstein Files
#EpsteinFiles #ConspiracyThinking #MediaLiteracy
#EpsteinFiles #ConspiracyThinking #MediaLiteracy
This NYT stat is the second worst graphic I've seen this week and it's only second because I've also been reading nazi eugenic 'research'.
This is what happens when editors-in-chief believe the myth you need pro-Conservative 'balance'; you start falling for anti-trans & anti-DEI conspiracythinking.
This is what happens when editors-in-chief believe the myth you need pro-Conservative 'balance'; you start falling for anti-trans & anti-DEI conspiracythinking.
Of course the NYT sees the "DEI" stuff positively & is neutral on anti-trans discrimination
March 1, 2025 at 4:39 PM
This NYT stat is the second worst graphic I've seen this week and it's only second because I've also been reading nazi eugenic 'research'.
This is what happens when editors-in-chief believe the myth you need pro-Conservative 'balance'; you start falling for anti-trans & anti-DEI conspiracythinking.
This is what happens when editors-in-chief believe the myth you need pro-Conservative 'balance'; you start falling for anti-trans & anti-DEI conspiracythinking.
Does School Debating Reduce Vulnerability to #Misinformation?
-Dr K Krakowski recognised for research on reducing vulnerability to #misinfo & #ConspiracyThinking among youth thru the est of a network of debating clubs.
Study
drive.google.com/file/d/1qCoG...
Article
www.kcl.ac.uk/news/researc...
-Dr K Krakowski recognised for research on reducing vulnerability to #misinfo & #ConspiracyThinking among youth thru the est of a network of debating clubs.
Study
drive.google.com/file/d/1qCoG...
Article
www.kcl.ac.uk/news/researc...
Research on curbing impact of disinformation wins impact prize
An academic from the Department of Political Economy was among winners at this year’s Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy Impact Awards.
www.kcl.ac.uk
March 14, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Does School Debating Reduce Vulnerability to #Misinformation?
-Dr K Krakowski recognised for research on reducing vulnerability to #misinfo & #ConspiracyThinking among youth thru the est of a network of debating clubs.
Study
drive.google.com/file/d/1qCoG...
Article
www.kcl.ac.uk/news/researc...
-Dr K Krakowski recognised for research on reducing vulnerability to #misinfo & #ConspiracyThinking among youth thru the est of a network of debating clubs.
Study
drive.google.com/file/d/1qCoG...
Article
www.kcl.ac.uk/news/researc...
The chatlog is evidence in court, it's incredibly doubtful it's fake. If the police would use fake evidence during a trial, the whole thing would fall apart, any lawyer would immediately go after it.
Don't fall into conspiracythinking, it is what it is unless proven otherwise.
Don't fall into conspiracythinking, it is what it is unless proven otherwise.
September 16, 2025 at 11:48 PM
The chatlog is evidence in court, it's incredibly doubtful it's fake. If the police would use fake evidence during a trial, the whole thing would fall apart, any lawyer would immediately go after it.
Don't fall into conspiracythinking, it is what it is unless proven otherwise.
Don't fall into conspiracythinking, it is what it is unless proven otherwise.
Trumpist anti-woke, anti-DEI politics is pure McCarthyism conspiracythinking.
If you are okay with or in any way believe this hunt against "the leftie woke gender ideology", congrats:
you're a McCarthyist stuck in the 1950s, still trying to hunt down The Hidden Commies and Gays in 2025.
If you are okay with or in any way believe this hunt against "the leftie woke gender ideology", congrats:
you're a McCarthyist stuck in the 1950s, still trying to hunt down The Hidden Commies and Gays in 2025.
a man in a suit and tie is sitting at a table with a microphone in front of him .
ALT: a man in a suit and tie is sitting at a table with a microphone in front of him .
media.tenor.com
January 28, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Trumpist anti-woke, anti-DEI politics is pure McCarthyism conspiracythinking.
If you are okay with or in any way believe this hunt against "the leftie woke gender ideology", congrats:
you're a McCarthyist stuck in the 1950s, still trying to hunt down The Hidden Commies and Gays in 2025.
If you are okay with or in any way believe this hunt against "the leftie woke gender ideology", congrats:
you're a McCarthyist stuck in the 1950s, still trying to hunt down The Hidden Commies and Gays in 2025.
Depends on the subject. Jan-Willem van Prooijen is professor in conspiracythinking and radicalisation. Jelle van Buuren is a respected associate prof. in the same subject.
Combination with fandom is quite specific for this. Léonie de Jonge is 36 (& Bluesky), she might be a bit more internet savvy.
Combination with fandom is quite specific for this. Léonie de Jonge is 36 (& Bluesky), she might be a bit more internet savvy.
February 23, 2026 at 2:45 AM
Depends on the subject. Jan-Willem van Prooijen is professor in conspiracythinking and radicalisation. Jelle van Buuren is a respected associate prof. in the same subject.
Combination with fandom is quite specific for this. Léonie de Jonge is 36 (& Bluesky), she might be a bit more internet savvy.
Combination with fandom is quite specific for this. Léonie de Jonge is 36 (& Bluesky), she might be a bit more internet savvy.
I am thrilled to join i50y Initiative's event Celebrating 50 Years of the Internet from a Youth Perspective! 🌐
Tune in for the panel Internet Challenges: Disinformation. I pre-recorded a speech on #disinformation & #conspiracythinking in the era of social media.
Details & registration here: i50y.net
Tune in for the panel Internet Challenges: Disinformation. I pre-recorded a speech on #disinformation & #conspiracythinking in the era of social media.
Details & registration here: i50y.net
December 1, 2024 at 4:22 PM
I am thrilled to join i50y Initiative's event Celebrating 50 Years of the Internet from a Youth Perspective! 🌐
Tune in for the panel Internet Challenges: Disinformation. I pre-recorded a speech on #disinformation & #conspiracythinking in the era of social media.
Details & registration here: i50y.net
Tune in for the panel Internet Challenges: Disinformation. I pre-recorded a speech on #disinformation & #conspiracythinking in the era of social media.
Details & registration here: i50y.net
Intriguing effect of conspiracy thinking revealed in new study #Science #Psychology #Other #ConspiracyThinking #MentalHealth #PsychologyResearch
Intriguing effect of conspiracy thinking revealed in new study
New research published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin reveals that when people believe in widespread conspiracies, they are less likely to attribute social inequalities to the personal...
purescience.news
March 8, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Intriguing effect of conspiracy thinking revealed in new study #Science #Psychology #Other #ConspiracyThinking #MentalHealth #PsychologyResearch
#conspiracythinking #stilnotwatching
And if Felon 45 thinks I'm wasting TV Nielsen on his little oath taking ceremony, just because Tik Tok & Cap Cut were "restored", he should think again.
And if Felon 45 thinks I'm wasting TV Nielsen on his little oath taking ceremony, just because Tik Tok & Cap Cut were "restored", he should think again.
January 19, 2025 at 7:29 PM
#conspiracythinking #stilnotwatching
And if Felon 45 thinks I'm wasting TV Nielsen on his little oath taking ceremony, just because Tik Tok & Cap Cut were "restored", he should think again.
And if Felon 45 thinks I'm wasting TV Nielsen on his little oath taking ceremony, just because Tik Tok & Cap Cut were "restored", he should think again.
◻️
#conspiracythinking
Feb '21, drew up quick sketch of conspiracy thinking ecosystem based on available info.
Term alternative reality wasn't common currency.
One branch: gaming seeping into everyday life.
Overall though it seems to be about anxiety:
www.scientificamerican.com/article/peop...
#conspiracythinking
Feb '21, drew up quick sketch of conspiracy thinking ecosystem based on available info.
Term alternative reality wasn't common currency.
One branch: gaming seeping into everyday life.
Overall though it seems to be about anxiety:
www.scientificamerican.com/article/peop...
December 7, 2024 at 1:03 PM
◻️
#conspiracythinking
Feb '21, drew up quick sketch of conspiracy thinking ecosystem based on available info.
Term alternative reality wasn't common currency.
One branch: gaming seeping into everyday life.
Overall though it seems to be about anxiety:
www.scientificamerican.com/article/peop...
#conspiracythinking
Feb '21, drew up quick sketch of conspiracy thinking ecosystem based on available info.
Term alternative reality wasn't common currency.
One branch: gaming seeping into everyday life.
Overall though it seems to be about anxiety:
www.scientificamerican.com/article/peop...