Conspiracy theories in online environments: An interdisciplinary literature review and agenda for future research

Daniela Mahl, Mike S. Schafer, Jing Zeng

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Research on conspiracy theories in digital media has grown considerably in recent years. As a result, the field of research has become more multidisciplinary and diverse. To bridge disciplinary boundaries, identify foci of analysis and research gaps, this study provides an interdisciplinary systematic literature review (2007-2020), analyzing current research on conspiracy theorizing online, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings show that the majority of studies lack a definition of conspiracy theories and fail to conceptually delineate conspiracy theories from other forms of deceptive content. We also found that while the field employs a variety of methodological approaches, most studies have focused on individual, "mainstream" social media platforms, "Western" countries, English-language communication, and single conspiracy theories. We use the findings of our review to remedy conceptual and empirical shortcomings and to provide suggestions on how to move forward in research on conspiracy theories online.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages21
JournalNew Media and Society
Volume25
Issue number7
Early online dateFeb 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023
Externally publishedYes

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work is part of the research project "Science-related conspiracy theories online: Mapping their characteristics, prevalence, and distribution internationally and developing contextualized counter-strategies," funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF; Grant No. IZBRZ1_186296).

FundersFunder number
Swiss National Science FoundationIZBRZ1_186296
Swiss National Science Foundation SNFIZBRZ1_186296

    Keywords

    • Conspiracy theories
    • Digital media
    • Disinformation
    • Misinformation
    • Social media platforms
    • Systematic literature review

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