The spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories often follows clear patterns. Educating people about these patterns in advance is known as prebunking.
Disinformation and conspiracy narratives are deliberately used to sow doubt and create fear or uncertainty. By fueling mistrust, they seek to undermine confidence in facts, trusted figures, and institutions. This is achieved using various tactics:
These individuals are used to challenge mainstream (often scientific) consensus. Some are entirely fictional, some are real people but lack relevant expertise, and others may actually be experts – yet spread outdated or misleading information that contradicts the current scientific consensus.
Sources that appear credible at first glance are used to support false claims. Upon closer inspection, the content is misleading, incorrect, or unrelated – but often goes unchecked.
Logical fallacies and faulty reasoning are intentionally used to mislead – because they often go unnoticed, while the message sticks. People may also draw false conclusions from unrelated facts – for example, assuming that two simultaneous events are causally connected.
Important background is omitted, and facts (such as images, quotes, statistics) are taken out of context. This includes cherry-picking - selectively presenting only the information that supports one’s viewpoint and ignoring the rest.
A deflection tactic where criticism or arguments are sidestepped by pointing to an unrelated issue – often with a counter-question. This tactic disrupts the conversation and distracts from the actual point.
Used to cast doubt: e.g., “the so-called pandemic”, “the alleged moon landing”.
Words like “disaster”, “horrifying”, or “total chaos” are used to stir fear, anger, or anxiety – limiting rational thinking. This is known as fearmongering.
Phrases like “it’s obvious” or “everyone knows” are meant to present conspiracy claims as unquestionable truths.
Neutral terms are mixed with negative ones to suggest conspiracy – e.g., “fake news media”, “COVID tyranny”, “deep state agenda”.
Phrases like “it’s all just a show”, “look behind the curtain”, or “we're just puppets” create the illusion that hidden forces are manipulating society.
Well-known methods for spreading disinformation include “hack and leak“- bzw. “hack and publish“-activities, where illegally obtained information is manipulated or decontextualized and then published to mislead or harm.
