Séamas O'Reilly: How do we tackle the challenges posed by conspiracy theories?

"Conspiracies, however disparate, share a common goal; providing false explanations for complex phenomena and, more often than not, ascribing blame to a convenient outgroup rather than to their actual causes."

Pic: iStock

"What's the one thing your optometrist doesn’t want you to know about?” began a striking TikTok video last week, shared by anti-misinformation activist @mallorysthoughts. 

The line was delivered by Samantha Lotus, a pleasant-looking bespectacled woman, whose long blonde hair and perfect teeth gave her the look of someone who juices her meals and could do a handstand at a moment’s notice.