REDACT

Researching Europe, Digitalisation and Conspiracy Theories

01/11/2022 to 31/10/2025

This project wants to find out how digitalisation affects the production, content, distribution, circulation and
consequences of conspiracy theories in the German-speaking countries. To achieve this goal, we will take
an interdisciplinary and multi-methodological approach, with a focus on discourse analysis and digital
ethnography. Our project is based on the assumption that the political, social and historical aspects of
conspiracy narratives on the web must be taken into account. In this respect, we assume that there are
significant regional differences within Europe. Therefore, the project to which this sub-project belongs
concentrates on the German-speaking countries, the United Kingdom, the Baltic States, the Balkans,
Slovakia and Poland. We would like to understand how conspiracy theory communication works on different
platforms and to what extent the specific conditions of the platforms influence the world view, identity, and
sociality of the communicators. In addition, we will examine what understanding of conspiracy theories
underlies the work of organizations based in Germany, Austria and Switzerland that work against
conspiracy theories. Based on our analyses, we will formulate evidence-based, region-specific
recommendations to curb conspiracy theories in the digital information and communication media in order
to reduce the negative aspects of digitization and the damage that conspiracy theories can cause in digital
and real spaces.