How conspiracy theories emerge -- and how their storylines fall apart

(University of California - Los Angeles) A new study in the journal PLOS One, by UCLA professors of engineering and folklore, uses machine learning to visualize how unrelated facts and false information can connect into a narrative framework that would quickly fall apart if some of elements are taken out of the mix. One of the characteristics of a conspiracy theory narrative framework-- like what built up around Pizzagate online -- is that it is easily disconnected, they found.
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news