Thoughts on Understanding and Combating Conspiracy Theories

I am not an expert - these are just my opinions from what I've seen. I hope some people find this information helpful, even if only for themselves.

1. A common feature of conspiracy theories is avoiding the burden of proof. To prove something is true you need evidence, but to prove something is NOT true you need omniscience. For example, prove to me that <insert name> is NOT a pedophile. You cannot, since that requires a full set of all information about their lives. This is why we have the legal principle “innocent until proven guilty,” because we cannot prove innocence. The way this comes up in conspiracy theories: ‘I don’t know if Covid-19 was planned, but why don’t we have the answer to that?’ AKA ‘prove to me Covid-19 was not planned’ -> ‘I cannot’ -> ‘See! it must be true.’
2. Conspiracy theories are essentially chain letters (eg. ‘share this with 10 people or you will get cancer’). You will only see the ones that have been successfully passed on up to this point, which means the ‘risk’ of bad juju falls onto the latest readers (like a pyramid scheme). If someone believes a conspiracy theory is real, they will feel compelled to pass the information on because the risk of not passing it on is greater (eg. ‘I’m sending this to you just in case it’s true’), but ultimately it’s to avoid the guilt of bad juju. Over time, this mental muscle pattern gets strengthened (sharing chain letters from fear), which warps their world view, and eventually alienates them from non-believers.
3. I believe it is more appropriate to treat conspiracy theorists as addicts than fools. They get a thrill of emotional attunement/validation (eg. they might be angry or afraid and not be aware of it until they find an ‘enemy’ via a conspiracy) as well as a sense of satisfaction by discovering the ‘truth’ (like solving a puzzle). Trying to argue a faith-based belief rationally is like trying to convince an alcoholic to stop drinking. Arguing facts can be a red herring as this is not necessarily about intelligence/logic, but about belief and physiology. Though it can be helpful to clarify primary sources (eg. footage) vs an interpretation (eg. a response video) to see where the opinions start. Keep in mind, some people think critical thinking is just mental effort. This is why people often say to ‘do your research’ when really they are just falling for confirmation bias over and over again. "A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything." - Friedrich Nietzsche.
4. Ultimately I think it’s important to disagree kindly and consistently (silence can come across as approval) and/or try to establish boundaries around conspiracy theories if/when counter arguments become too exhausting to continue. Sometimes all you can do is not forward the chain letter and take care of your own mental health. Often the goal of conspiracy theories is attention, and it can be difficult not to take the bait. I also recommend focusing on other aspects of the relationship (ie. making time for non-conspiracy theory activities). It is better to maintain a healthy relationship than to win an argument - and one way is to decouple the person’s identity from their beliefs for them (ie. ‘I don’t want space from you, just online conspiracy theories, we can do other things like sharing memes and playing games together!’).