#bushdid911 changed everything
All of the above screenshots were screenshotted on 4/21/2020 at 8:12 pm Eastern Time. All of the corresponding screenshots are hyperlinked to their exact locations.
Please click the hyperlinks below to each of the pages for the most current posts under the hashtag #bushdid911
WHAT IS #BUSHDID911
The classic saying by conspiracy theorists, explain that they overall believe that the 9/11 attacks were an inside job. Here are some key reasons why:
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GROWTH AND
EVOLUTION
There is no doubt that social media is the main player in the growth of modern conspiracy theories, and #bushdid911 is prime evidence with this. Key correlations between social media and growth:
- Studies have shown that by the setup of social media, people can continue to find more information online-- what is called a "rabbit hole"
- Psychologically, a lot of conspiracy theories are created based off of a sense of doubt from a higher power (ie government), Professor Mark Tuters states "their [conspiracy theorists] adversarial logic also maps onto a populist style of political rhetoric that pits the general will of the people against a corrupt and ageing establishment elite"
- The ability for public banter through commenting and blog posts allows people to feed off of other people. More information is spread quickly, and social media eases the previous barriers of hearing many opinions. Thus people are more likely to tack on to information quicker.
- News medias and outlets have always existed whether through newspapers or tv programming; however, at this day in age, social media websites are not cross-referenced for scholarly information, thus why conspiracy theories are able to prosper. The vast variety of conspiracy theories that exist in the internet now continue to be created and be followed more so now than ever before in history.
- A survey of adults selected at random were asked about their belief of 9/11 conspiracy theories and their social media use.
- Members of less powerful groups (minorities, women, lower class, and younger people) are more likely to believes these theories. Why? Studies show that these groups of people are less likely to have exposure to legitimate media sources such as newspapers and TV news channels that refute these common 9/11 conspiracy theories.
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In the Youtube video to the left, on the anniversary of 9/11 author and Professor Mark Fenster is interviewed about the 9/11 theories and the large following of these theories by people who have less of or a lack of trust in their government. This interview also touches on Trump's viewpoint on the 9/11 conspiracy theories and how that impacts certain people's following as well.
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MODERN PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA
- Research has shown that within the past few years the amount of people believing in conspiracy theories has grown
- The combination of distrust in authority figures and the high spread of information via the Internet is to blame.
- In the Wagner-Egger and Gygax experiment, results showed that depending on the usage of a high-quality newspaper to explain a conspiracy theory, there is an increase in belief; however, there is a large decrease in belief if it comes from a lower quality newspaper. Thus depending on the source, there is a change as to whether there will be a significant loss or increase in the following.
- Professor John Naughton and a few others believe that not necessarily is the presence of social media causing a following, because it can be counteracted with the large amount of reliable information that the information provides.
- What is most interesting though-- is that if that information is on the Internet, what are people most likely to read and will they be able to find those answer?
- The short answer is no, due to Confirmation Bias and Group Polarization.Those who believe will only surround themselves with people on the internet who also believe in the same ideals as them. People psychologically are less likely to look at other sites.
- What is most interesting though-- is that if that information is on the Internet, what are people most likely to read and will they be able to find those answer?
#bushdid911 Today
It is currently over 18 years since the attack on The United States that tragic day. Yet with all of the continuous posts that happen every minute, the conspiracy lives on. That leaves us with one question-- when/will it ever stop?
That will cause people to change their beliefs, and although other powers such as the United States Government have tried, they have been unsuccessful. We shall wait for years to find out.
That will cause people to change their beliefs, and although other powers such as the United States Government have tried, they have been unsuccessful. We shall wait for years to find out.
References
Fenster, M. (2018, September 11). What are common conspiracies surrounding 9/11? (F. 2. News, Interviewer)
Gygax, P. W.-E. (2018). Diana Was Not Involved in the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks! Hogrefe.
n.a. (2017, April 12). 911 was an inside job: Conspiracy or Truth? Retrieved from Conspiracies.net:
https://www.conspiracies.net/911-was-an-xxxxxinside-job-conspiracy-or-truth/
Stempel, C., Hargrove, T., & Stempel, G. H. (2007). Media Use, Social Structure, and Belief in 9/11 Conspiracy Theories. Journalism & Mass Communication
Quarterly, 84(2), 353–372. doi: 10.1177/107769900708400210
Tuters, M. (2020, April 7). How conspiracy theories spread online- it's not just down to algorithms. Retrieved from The Conversation:
https://theconversation.com/how-conspiracy-theories-spread-online-its-not-just-down-to-algorithms-133891
Gygax, P. W.-E. (2018). Diana Was Not Involved in the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks! Hogrefe.
n.a. (2017, April 12). 911 was an inside job: Conspiracy or Truth? Retrieved from Conspiracies.net:
https://www.conspiracies.net/911-was-an-xxxxxinside-job-conspiracy-or-truth/
Stempel, C., Hargrove, T., & Stempel, G. H. (2007). Media Use, Social Structure, and Belief in 9/11 Conspiracy Theories. Journalism & Mass Communication
Quarterly, 84(2), 353–372. doi: 10.1177/107769900708400210
Tuters, M. (2020, April 7). How conspiracy theories spread online- it's not just down to algorithms. Retrieved from The Conversation:
https://theconversation.com/how-conspiracy-theories-spread-online-its-not-just-down-to-algorithms-133891