Everyone loves a good conspiracy here and there. Besides, what’s the difference between a conspiracy and gossip? Actually, quite a lot. A conspiracy theory is an attempt to explain harmful or tragic events as the results of the actions of a small powerful group. Such explanations reject the accepted narrative surrounding those events; indeed the official version may be seen as further proof of the conspiracy.

It’s common to see the adaptation of conspiracy theories in periods of widespread anxiety, uncertainty, and hardship, as during wars and economic depression and in the aftermath of natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, and pandemics. Conspiratorial thinking is driven by a strong human desire to make sense of social forces that are self-relevant, important, and threatening. The content of conspiracy theories is emotionally laden and its alleged discovery can be gratifying. The survivability of conspiracy theories may be aided by psychological biases and by distrust of official resources.

It’s no secret conspiracy theories are generated from a multitude of reasons and for numerous situations. Some are more popular than others and have even formed into larger movements. Here are some of the most common (or possibly not to you) conspiracy theories:

There’s a low chance you will never not meet someone who believes the earth is flat. Aside from all the science suggesting otherwise, flat earthers (more commonly known as) hold a theory that the earth is a disk shape. Other flat earthers, however, believe the earth is actually an infinite plane in all directions. There’s the Arctic circle in the middle and there’s the land masses around it. Then on Antarctica, there is ice around the edge, but instead of it being a discrete disc, some people believe Antarctica goes on forever in all directions. This conspiracy theory is in no way new, but it fosters thinking as a large number of people find the idea to be true. The defiance of proven science is plausibly to have come from the Bible where it describes the four corners of the earth. Naturally, spheres don’t have corners.

“How do we just not fall off the earth if it’s constantly spinning? Obviously I understand gravity to a certain extent, but something just doesn’t seem right,” Matthew Galemmo ‘24 said.

Continuing with the space theme: another wide held conspiracy is the moon landing was staged and didn’t actually happen. Although NASA has produced an absorbent amount of proof, people still aren’t convinced. Taking a look at some of the photos taken, conspiracists detect the shadows of the landing to prove the images are fake. The shadows appear not parallel to one another even though the only light source is coming from the sun. Apparently not, they believe the photos were produced in a studio with multiple light sources creating different shadow patterns. Others who believe in this conspiracy theory look towards the flag planted on the moon. It’s waving in the wind, but last anyone checked there was no wind on the moon.

“If we landed on the moon, how come we’ve never gone back and explored more? With today’s technology we should be able to have a party up there. Oh wait, we can’t because we’ve never been in the first place,” Tess Peel ‘24 said.

A recently surged conspiracy is the vaccination conspiracy. Some people believe that vaccines are harmful and there is a hidden agenda behind their promotion. In the 19th century, the smallpox vaccination was met with claims that it was a government measure to curb personal freedoms, would cause further illness, and that it was introduced to increase profits for those in the medical profession. The same has been said for the Covid-19 vaccine and others mandated by the government through school medical requirements and even through jobs. Some also propose it as the government’s way of tracking you or gaining further information about your life.

“I feel like I’m always in need of a vaccine of some kind. I think weird. There’s no way it’s medicine; it has to be ‘energy’ for the tracker placed in my body,” Ginger Galemmo ‘26 said.

Here’s a hot button issue: global warming. The global warming hoax theory suggests that climate change is a made-up concept to control people or benefit certain industries. Attacks on global warming are mainly aimed for climate solutions. Ideas like wind turbines cause cancer or cause birth defects in animals. On the business perspective, global warming, as theories see it, is made to boom business and expand certain industries around the globe all curated by the government.

“Climate change is happening all the time because of the ice age so this is natural there is no reason to believe it is caused by humans,” Robin Owen ‘24 said.

A very recent conspiracy theory stems from the actions of the royal family. Kate Middleton has been diagnosed with cancer recently after a large spread panic of her whereabouts to the public. The timeline is extensive with many plot twists that lead many to think the princess does in fact not have cancer. A majority of this theory stems back to the whole Princess Diana controversy and the royal family’s role in her death (a whole other conspiracy). Middleton is seemingly “missing” for months in which the public receives no information until she posts an AI generated photo where she later apologizes for because everyone figured it out. Many people are convinced she does not have cancer but rather has an eating disorder of some kind or Prince William of Wales, her husband, is having an affair. Considering there have been few sightings of the kids, people tend to lean towards the idea she left William with her kids and now lives somewhere else.

“It’s all so strange. One day she’s missing and the public becomes worried and then she’s back with cancer. There’s no way. I see it has an easy cover-up to protect William,” Adrianna Barnes ‘24 said.

Most people who believe in conspiracy theories are dedicated to what they believe. The need to look for something beyond the plausible and to cope with the event or situation are common causes to the development of conspiracy theories. There’s no way to be certain if any of these theories are true, but the people are going to believe what they want to believe.

Other conspiracy theories
JFK Assassinations: Some believe that there was a larger conspiracy behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Big Pharma Control: This theory claims that pharmaceutical companies manipulate the healthcare system for profit and power.
HAARP Weather Control: This theory suggests that the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is used to control weather patterns.
Reincarnation of famous figures: Some believe that certain famous individuals have been reincarnated in modern times.
Elvis Presley Faked Death: This theory claims that Elvis Presely faked his own death and is still alive.
Time Traveler Among Us: Some believe that time travelers from the future are living among us in disguise.
9/11 Inside Job: This theory suggests the US government was involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Area 51 and Aliens: Many believe that Area 51 is hiding evidence of extraterrestrial life.
Illuminati Control: This theory claims a secret society called the Illuminati controls world events.
Chemtrails: Some believe the trails left by airplanes in the sky are actually chemicals being sprayed for sinister purposes.
New World Order: This conspiracy theory claims that a secretive group is planning to establish a global totalitarian government.
Reptilian Elite: Some believe that shape-shifting reptilian creatures secretly control the world’s governments.