Conspiracy Theories and (the) Media (Studies)

2017

Traditionally, research on conspiracy theories (CT) is not at the heart of communication and media studies. Still there are theories, concepts and findings in this discipline which can be fruitfully linked to CT research. If one sees CT as certain forms of narratives, one important question is how they spread within societies, communities and groups. To analyse this, one can apply the concept of "diffusion of innovations", alongside theories and concepts which stem from media studies, such as agenda setting or two-step flow of communication. Moreover, research on strategic and political communication, news bias and even fake news can be linked to the study of CT.