ArticlePloS one2025
'I think youtube's turning me into a flat earther': Social media's role in ex-conspiracy theorists entering and exiting anti-scientific communities.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Conspiracy beliefs erode trust in science and lead to negative effects on public health and other science-related behaviours and political discourse. Despite extensive research on conspiratorial thinking, the literature lacks a comprehensive exploration of individuals' experiences as they enter (and exit) conspiracy communities, presenting a notable research gap. Therefore, the present study adopts an interpretivist framework by interviewing four ex-conspiracy theorists, delving into what drew them into conspiratorial thinking, the catalysts for their exit from these online communities (e.g., Flat Earth, distrust of science and medicine), and the obstacles they faced in disengaging from these communities. Reflective Thematic Analysis identified four main themes with eight associated subthemes. The experiences of ex-conspiracy theorists revealed a profound personal dimension for them entering the conspiracy echo chamber (Theme 1), such as feelings of loneliness and the impact of significant life events. Scientific illiteracy and a general misunderstanding of the scientific process (Theme 2), further contributed to their adoption of more entrenched conspiratorial thinking. The (online) conspiracy community, with its powerful and dynamic nature, had impacted the experiences of members (Theme 3), providing a sense of identity, reinforcing community doctrine, and creating a social and personal barrier to leaving the community. Leaving the community proved a challenging process (Theme 4), with participants identifying a conflict between their personal experiences and the community's doctrine as a key reason for their departure. We contextualize these findings within prior research and propose potential interventions for individuals susceptible to scientific misinformation, utilizing the principles of nudge theory for behaviour change and mindfulness-based therapies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.