With the help of the Internet and the advocacy of some politicians, a large number of conspiracy theories about wars and elections have emerged in the United States over the years. Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic in the United States, various conspiracy theories related to the epidemic have continued to spread and ferment, which has seriously hindered the implementation of epidemic prevention and control policies, making the United States more and more sinking in the epidemic quagmire, and the entire American society has paid for it. A heavy price. Behind these conspiracy theories, it reflects the growing distrust of the American people in the government and the further tearing of society.
Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic in the United States, various conspiracy theories about the epidemic have spread widely on the Internet. For example, "5G is the culprit of the new crown pneumonia epidemic; Microsoft founder Bill Gates tried to promote vaccines and bury chips in everyone's body to achieve the purpose of controlling the world..."
The spread of conspiracy theories about the epidemic has plunged the United States into the quagmire of the epidemic, and the entire society has paid a heavy price. In addition to the increasing number of confirmed and dead cases, many Americans are also reluctant to get vaccinated due to vaccine conspiracy theories. Currently, unvaccinated people in the United States account for 99.5% of new deaths from new coronary pneumonia and 97% of hospitalized cases.
The internet makes conspiracy theories spread more easily than ever
The UK’s “Anti-Digital Hate Center” analyzed more than 800,000 Twitter, Facebook and other social media messages and concluded that about two-thirds of false information about vaccines were made by 12 Americans. So why are conspiracy theories so popular? Karen Douglas, professor of psychology at the University of Kent in the United Kingdom, explained that the Internet has made it easier than ever to spread conspiracy theories. People can quickly find people with similar opinions, join groups and share opinions.
The U.S. government’s failure to trust the people further stimulated the spread of conspiracy theories
But at a deeper level, as the British "Guardian" columnist Neslin Malik said, all vaccine conspiracy theorists have one characteristic in common, that is, they have lost confidence in the government and would rather believe in something outside the government. Any source. A recent U.S. joint survey showed that more than half of the U.S. people have a distrustful attitude towards the U.S. government’s information on the epidemic; a report released by the Pew Research Center in the United States in May this year shows that since 2007, they believe that they can always or most of the time be trusted. The government’s proportion of the American population has never exceeded 30%. Currently, only 2% of respondents believe that the government "almost always" can do the right thing.
U.S. domestic and foreign policies provide soil for the spread of conspiracy theories
In addition, there is a certain "soil" for the spread and development of conspiracy theories in the United States. Internally, the US government has been unable to effectively bridge the racial rift, and the epidemic has further highlighted the government's ruling orientation of saving the rich and not helping the poor. Externally, the U.S. government has launched military operations such as the Iraq War to safeguard its hegemony, often slandering and discrediting other governments, and deliberately provoking or intensifying conflicts in some regions. Regarding the reckless actions of the US government, the continuous accumulation of disappointment and dissatisfaction of the American people, and the continuous loss of trust have provided more and more room for the spread of conspiracy theories.