Conspiracy theories are as old as time. And, they’re not all bad. Sometimes they bring us together for a subpar party in the desert. Take, for example, that one time in 2019 when more than 2 million people RSVP’d to ambush Area 51.

But when they take a turn to the dark side, conspiracy theories can be as dangerous as any other threat we face.

On this episode of Things That Go Boom, we talk about how the internet has fueled a rise in that dark side, and how it caught the US government by surprise.

GUESTS: Elizabeth Neumann, Former Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention at the Department of Homeland Security; Oumou Ly, Fellow, Berkman Klein Center, Harvard Law School

ADDITIONAL READING:

Leaving Trump in Office Now Will Just Encourage White Nationalists, Kathleen Belew and Elizabeth Neumann.

When Disinformation Becomes a Political Strategy, Who Holds the Line?, Oumou Ly.

QAnon Believers Are Obsessed With Hillary Clinton. She Has Thoughts., Michelle Goldberg.