https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn6017
I found an article on Science.org titled “Social Media and Shared Reality” by Jennifer Golbeck. Published 10 Feb 2022, this article is published in the latest volume of Science Magazine. Volume 375, issue 6581, page 624. This article speaks on the topic of social media allowing conspiracy theories to run rampant like never before.
It is intended for the educated public, except for those that actually do believe in flat Earth theories. I think it is intended for the educated public because the only prior knowledge needed to understand this article is why the Earth is round and at least one or two arguments for why that is true. It is easy to read, not like other scientific articles and can be understood by anyone. The only ad that I could find was at the top of the article and it was an advertisement for Faculty positions at Southern University of Science and Technology. But the ad is originally written in an Asian script.
This ad helps further my idea that it is intended for the educated public because it is an ad to be a faculty member, not a student. It is geared towards people with some basis of knowledge. In addition, the website itself is compiled by University of California campuses, helping it feel more familiar to me as the reader. However, it is not just compiled of California-based researchers, as an article that is linked at the bottom of the page includes excerpts from many professionals from all over the world.
I think the purpose of this article is a combination of educating, entertaining, and warning. I think this because it outlines the dangers of conspiracy theories in isolating you from friends and family, rejecting all facts and ideas that don’t match your narrative, and helping you fall into a cult-like following of theorists. The author does not at all seem to judge those that do believe in these theories, but she does warn against believing in them yourself. The author provides examples of what the theorists believe in rather than the spherical Earth. Conspiracies say that the Earth is a “flat disc with with a high wall around its perimeter; the sun is very small and hovers only about 3000 miles above Earth, illuminating portions of it like a spotlight; there is no such thing as outer space; and gravity may not exist.” The author helps the audience visualize what conspiracy theorists believe. To us, this sounds ridiculous to reject what science has clearly shown us is true, but she asserts that that’s the point, people choose to not believe science. The only image shown in this article is the one attached below, showing what a flat Earth would look like. I think that the purpose is to warn us against conspiracies.
The tone of the content is somber yet scholarly. The author says, “their initial contact with flat Earth theories often comes at a time when the rest of their lives are not going well.” This adds a bit of sympathizing with the theorists from the audience. It is sad the way that it comes about. Then she goes on to explain that they “do their own research” which essentially means they cherry-pick ideas from various YouTube videos that have all not been peer-reviewed. It is professional piece of writing but also appeals to the general public and inspires a sad take on those that do believe in these conspiracy theories.
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