Introduction to the Symposium Conspiracism and Democracy: New Perspectives and Challenges
| Published date | 01 May 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/14789299241235577 |
| Author | Matteo Bonotti,Zim Nwokora |
| Date | 01 May 2024 |
https://doi.org/10.1177/14789299241235577
Political Studies Review
2024, Vol. 22(2) 255 –259
© The Author(s) 2024
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DOI: 10.1177/14789299241235577
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Introduction to the
Symposium Conspiracism and
Democracy: New Perspectives
and Challenges
Matteo Bonotti1 and Zim Nwokora2
Abstract
This Introduction outlines the rationale for the symposium by providing an overview of the
main information pathologies that are increasingly affecting liberal democratic polities, including
misinformation, disinformation, fake news, rumours, and conspiracism. It then zooms in on Russell
Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum’s (2019) book A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism
and the Assault on Democracy, from which this symposium takes inspiration and outlines its key
argument. Finally, the Introduction provides a brief summary of the articles in the symposium,
explaining their contribution to debates on conspiracism and on other key areas of research in
contemporary political theory and political science.
Keywords
conspiracism, democracy, disinformation, misinformation
Accepted: 2 February 2024
Over the past few decades, technological advances such as the Internet and social media
have improved exponentially people’s ability to access and communicate information
(McGinnis, 2012). Yet, this undoubtedly positive phenomenon has also increasingly pre-
sented a ‘dark side’, in the form of various information pathologies that pose a threat to
social and political life in liberal democracies.
One of these pathologies is ‘misinformation’, which arises ‘when people hold incor-
rect factual beliefs and do so confidently’ (Jerit and Zhao, 2020: 78; see also Kuklinski
et al., 2000: 792). Misinformation is often driven by psychological factors, especially
people’s tendency to evaluate information based on their pre-existing beliefs, goals, and
motivations. As Jerit and Zhao (2020: 80) point out,
1Politics and International Relations, School of Social Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
2School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia
Corresponding author:
Matteo Bonotti, Politics and International Relations, School of Social Sciences, Monash University, Clayton,
VIC 3800, Australia.
Email: matteo.bonotti@monash.edu
1235577PSW0010.1177/14789299241235577Political Studies ReviewBonotti and Nwokora
research-article2024
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