The flat Earth theory is a conspiracy theory suggesting the Earth is flat, gaining significant attention on social media.

Flat Earthers lack a unified theory, making it challenging to address their claims.

Public figures like Kyrie Irving and the Kelce brothers have expressed beliefs in the flat Earth theory, suggesting a lack of critical thinking.

The flat Earth theory contradicts scientific principles and evidence, including gravity and satellite imagery.

People who believe in a flat Earth tend to distrust scientists, are open to conspiracies, and are misled by social media misinformation.

The resurgence of flat Earth beliefs may be attributed to social media misinformation and a lack of critical thinking.

Flat Earth believers often cite the lack of visible curvature in footage as proof of their viewpoint.

To assess if a flat Earth believer's views are harmless, look for signs of critical thinking, skepticism, and a willingness to evaluate evidence and change their beliefs.

Believing in multiple conspiracy theories may indicate susceptibility to misinformation and manipulation.

A teenager befriending someone from a family of flat-earthers may be exposed to misinformation and harm from conspiracy theories.

Parents and guardians can mitigate risks by promoting critical thinking and media literacy to debunk conspiracy theories.

Teenagers seeking independence may be more susceptible to misinformation from conspiracy theories.

Friendship with someone from a family of flat-earthers can have long-term psychological effects on a teenager's mental health and worldview.

Deliberate isolation used by flat-earther families can cause anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem in teenagers.

Experts suggest prioritizing verified information and limiting conspiracy content to counter conspiracy theories.

Those who subscribe to flat Earth beliefs may be individuals susceptible to misinformation and conspiracy theories.

The flat Earth theory is a conspiracy theory suggesting the Earth is flat, gaining significant attention on social media.

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Content:     People Are Sharing Debunked Conspiracy Theories That People Believe Anyway, And I Kind Of Can't Believe Some Of These

    "Not only is the entire conspiracy surrounding it completely implausible, it's also so easily defeated. It's just random garbage with a thousand predictions that haven't come true. Just give it up already. Even most doomsday cults give up after four or five faulty predictions."

    Sometimes you hear someone repeat a conspiracy theory that is obviously total nonsense — and it makes you say to yourself, "People still believe that?"

    Redditor u/Gaza1121 recently asked the people of Reddit, "What conspiracy theory is so easily disproven that you don't understand how it's still going?" At the very least, these answers might help people get a clue about a thing or two:

    1. "Flat earth."

    —u/Vivid_Reading_2159

    "I’ve truly never understood what the big conspiracy is about this — who would benefit from lying about the earth being a globe? I understand most other conspiracies and what the purpose that they would serve, but this one is so moronic it’s just beyond me. Why do they think we would be lied to about gravity?"

    —u/PM_ME_YOUR_SUBURBS

    2. "Elvis faked his death. If he was going to do that, wouldn’t he have chosen a more dignified way to go?"

    —u/jb40018

    3. "Dinosaurs never existed."

    —u/Outrageous_Winner663

    4. "That JFK, Jr. didn’t die and was going to come out of hiding to be Trump’s VP."

    —u/jwt0001

    5. "That the Holocaust was a hoax."

    —u/Left-Star2240

    "Eisenhower demanded they photograph and document it because he knew people would try to deny it happened. 'While I was touring the camp I encountered three men who had been inmates and by one ruse or another had made their escape. I interviewed them through an interpreter. The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty, and bestiality were so overpowering as to leave me a bit sick. In one room, where [there] were piled up 20 or 30 naked men, killed by starvation, George Patton would not even enter. He said he would get sick if he did so. I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to 'propaganda.'"

    —u/bostonwolf

    6. "The moon landing. The entity with the most at stake for the US successfully landing on the moon was the USSR, who also had the ability to track the spacecraft and refute that it landed. They never said a word."

    —u/314159265358979326

    7. "Vaccines cause autism."

    —u/llcucf80

    8. "That the grieving families of children shot in American schools are 'crisis actors.'"

    —u/InverseRatio

    9. "Today I discovered that there's large groups who believe that 9/11 was CGI and there never really were any planes. Hundreds of people in an Instagram post talking about how fake it looks and it's clearly edited. Then I realized anyone under the age of 22 weren't alive for it — and if they're under 25 and they don't remember it, and any teenagers from outside of the tri-state area might not even know anyone who was there."

    —u/Stonewall30nyr

    10. "Obama birtherism. A lot of other bonkers insane conspiracy theories are more insane in a 'supernatural insanity' sense, but they're also so far out there that you can barely apply common sense to them. What would motivate the lizard people? Who knows? They're lizard people! Whereas, let's see, a not-particularly-well-off woman living in Hawaii is pregnant — and the powers that be are somehow aware that her biracial child is someday in the future going to want to run for president."

    —u/Alex_Werner

    11. "Cancer has been cured and big pharma is sitting on it because it is more profitable not to cure cancer. The first problem with this is that there are multiple types of cancer. So there can't be a one size fits all cancer cure. Second is that a cancer cure would be exceedingly profitable for whatever company created it."

    —u/Thick-Worry5028

    12. "QAnon. I mean, they made a fucking documentary series about it and outed its creators. Not only is the entire conspiracy surrounding it completely implausible, it's also so easily defeated. It's just random garbage with a thousand predictions that haven't come true. Just give it up already. Even most doomsday cults give up after four or five faulty predictions."

    —u/Noobeaterz

    13. "Chemtrails."

    —u/you-are-number-6Q

    "I met someone who was into chemtrails — they thought everything was lithium poisoning and that the colors of the sunset was lithium in the atmosphere. They had a good hot dog stand, though."

    —u/SuspiciousStable9649

    14. "Jet fuel is a hoax and airliners run on compressed air."

    —u/Amberskin

    15. "The earth is five thousand years old."

    —u/cblume

    16. "The 2020 election was stolen."

    —u/prodigy1367

    17. "One I see sometimes as a math major, is that 0.999...does not equal 1 in the Real numbers. There are some math quacks out there who adamantly insist, no matter how you prove it to them otherwise, that 0.999...and 1 aren't just two ways of writing the same number."

    —u/bodyknock

    18. "Charles de Gaulle was King Charles's biological father."

    —u/joecoin2

    19. "The Titanic switch. I still have a hard time understanding how there are people that genuinely believe that shit."

    —u/daviepancakes

    And finally...

    20. "The republican party is fiscally conservative and believes in small government."

    —u/Psychogopher

Flat Earthers lack a unified theory, making it challenging to address their claims.

Title:

Content: Last Chance To Dance! 2022 Sundance Film Festival Coming To A Close

Posted by Larry Gleeson

2022 Sundance Film Festival Awards Announcement, Satellite Screenings, & Final Day on the New Frontier Spaceship Top Highlights of the Ninth Day of Festival Programming

PARK CITY, UT (January 29, 2022) – Sundance Film Festival welcomed audiences to its ninth day of screenings and conversations featuring some of the most notable visionaries in independent film, new media, and culture-at-large.

The festival announced the Audience Awards alongside Grand Jury and Special Jury Prizes for films in the U.S. Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, World Dramatic, and World Documentary Competitions, NEXT, and the Short Film program. Winners included Nanny (U.S. Dramatic), The Exiles (U.S. Documentary), All That Breathes (World Cinema Documentary), Utama (World Cinema Dramatic), Cha Cha Real Smooth (Audience Award, U.S. Dramatic) and Navalny (Audience Award, U.S. Documentary; Festival Favorite Award). All winners are detailed here. Screenings of the award-winning films will play online all weekend long.

The New Frontier Spaceship also celebrated its last day in orbit with Artist Spotlights and an open discussion hosted by Amelia Winger-Bearskin and Jesse Damiani on NFTs, cryptocurrencies, and the rapid proliferation of decentralized, autonomous organizations (DAOs).

The festival’s Satellite Screens kicked off yesterday as well. From Maryland to California, eight feature films from the 2022 lineup are playing this weekend at seven partner locations around the country where they are celebrating independent film and supporting like-minded arthouse theaters.

Each year, Sundance serves as a cultural launchpad, helping to expand audience horizons through film and the conversations that occur the minute that credits roll. Continuing to foster this spirit of discussion into 2022, Sundance Film Festival programs a series of panels across discipline and topics to keep the conversation going.

DAY NINE HIGHLIGHTS

  • 2022 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS
    • U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic: Nikyatu Jusu for Nanny
    • U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary: Ben Klein and Violet Columbus for The Exiles
    • World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic: Alejandro Loayza Grisi for Utama
    • World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary: Shaunak Sen for All That Breathes
    • Audience Award: U.S. Documentary: Navalny
    • Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic: Cha Cha Real Smooth
    • Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic: Girl Picture
    • Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary: The Territory
    • Audience Award: NEXT: Framing Agnes
    • Festival Favorite Award: Navalny
    • Directing Award: U.S. Documentary: Reid Davenport for I Didn’t See You There
    • Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic: Jamie Dack for Palm Trees and Power Lines
    • World Cinema Documentary: Simon Lereng Wilmont for A House Made Of Splinters
    • Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic: Maryna Er Gorbach for KLONDIKE
    • Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic: K.D. Dávila for Emergency
    • Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary: Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput for Fire Of Love
    • U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Uncompromising Artistic Vision: Bradley Rust Gray for blood
    • U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast: John Boyega, Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, Connie Britton, Olivia Washington, London Covington, and Michael K Williams for 892
    • U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Impact for Change: Aftershock
    • U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Creative Vision: Descendant
    • World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Documentary Craft: The Territory
    • World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Excellence In Verité Filmmaking: Midwives
    • World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit: Leonor Will Never Die
    • World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting: Teresa Sánchez for Dos Estaciones
    • NEXT Innovator Award presented by Adobe: Framing Agnes
    • Short Film Grand Jury Prize: The Headhunter’s Daughter
    • Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction: IF I GO WILL THEY MISS ME
    • Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction: Dania Bdeir for Warsha
    • Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction: Samir Karahoda for Displaced
    • Short Film Jury Award: Animation: Joe Hsieh for Night Bus
    • Short Film Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast: Zélia Duncan, Bruna Linzmeyer, Camila Rocha, Clarissa Ribeiro, and Lorre Motta for A wild patience has taken me here
    • Short Film Special Jury Award: Screenwriting: Sara Driver for Stranger Than Rotterdam with Sara Driver
    • Previously announced:
      • 2022 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize: After Yang
      • Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Nonfiction: Su Kim for Free Chol Soo Lee
      • Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Fiction: Amanda Marshall God’s Country
      • Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Nonfiction: Toby Shimin
      • Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Fiction: Dody Dorn
      • Sundance Institute | NHK Award: Hasan Hadi for The President’s Cake
  • NEW FRONTIER ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
    • FLAT EARTH VR
      • Lucas Rizzotto (Lead Artist) shared insight on how the project started as a joke in response to the idea that VR is an “empathy machine,” and asked whether that is still the case when the premise is entirely delusional.
      • Lucas discussed how he actually consulted flat Earthers in designing the experience and learned that ultimately, “flat Earthers are not united by their belief, but by their disbelief.” There is no singular coherent flat Earth theory and everyone has different ideas of what a flat Earth means and looks like.
      • Lucas also expressed concern about VR propaganda, and how XR creators could use their work to spread misinformation and emotionally manipulate and control audiences in showing them a “reality” regardless of whether or not it’s based in truth. He urged XR creators to be mindful of the impact their work could have and how it may be used by others in a way they might not have intended.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

The Festival takes place digitally via our enhanced online platform at Festival.Sundance.org, on the New Frontier Spaceship, a bespoke immersive platform allowing festival-goers to gather virtually, and in-person at seven Satellite Screens venues around the country during the Festival’s second weekend. Additional programming includes a daily talk show (“How to Fest: Daily”), and Satellite Screen conversations as well as partner offerings in the Festival Village.To note, all talks are available online via live stream or posted later on festival.sundance.org to view globally. Sign up for an account at festival.sundance.org to access online. All times are U.S. Mountain Time.

ABOUT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

The Sundance Film Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the past three decades, including Flee, CODA, Passing, Summer Of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Clemency, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Zola, On The Record, Boys State, The Farewell, Honeyland, One Child Nation, The Souvenir, The Infiltrators, Sorry to Bother You, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Hereditary, Call Me By Your Name, Get Out, The Big Sick, Mudbound, Fruitvale Station, Whiplash, Brooklyn, Precious, The Cove, Little Miss Sunshine, An Inconvenient Truth, Napoleon Dynamite, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Reservoir Dogs and sex, lies, and videotape.

The Festival is a program of the non-profit Sundance Institute. 2022 Festival sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Acura, AMC+, Chase Sapphire, Adobe; Leadership Sponsors – Amazon Studios, DIRECTV, DoorDash, Dropbox, Netflix, Omnicom Group, WarnerMedia, XRM Media; Sustaining Sponsors – Aflac, Audible, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., Dell Technologies, IMDbPro, Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold, Rabbit Hole Bourbon & Rye, Unity Technologies, University of Utah Health, White Claw Hard Seltzer; Media Sponsors – The Atlantic, IndieWire, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Shadow and Act, Variety, Vulture. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations helps offset the Festival’s costs and sustain the Institute’s year-round programs for independent artists. Visit sundance.org/festival for more.

Public figures like Kyrie Irving and the Kelce brothers have expressed beliefs in the flat Earth theory, suggesting a lack of critical thinking.

Title:

Content: “Everyone Gets Hit in the Head”: Travis and Jason Kelce Boldly Claim 20% NFL Players Are Flat-Earthers

Samnur Reza
Published

Eight-time NBA All-Star and Mavericks point guard, Kyrie Irving, has time and time again claimed that the earth is flat. Sadly, this belief is widely held around the globe. When discussing the same and if there are NFL players who also call themselves flat-earthers behind closed doors, Jason Kelce and his brother Travis boldly claimed that a good chunk of the NFL locker room actually believes the earth to be flat.

During a recent episode of the New Heights podcast with comedian Andrew Santino at the discussion table, the younger Kelce said, “We’ve mentioned on the show that conspiracy theories help bring NFL locker rooms together,” before asking the guest, “What are your conspiracy theories?”

Without skipping a beat, Santino posed the question about what percentage of NFL players actually believe in the Flat Earth theory. In response, Travis claimed that at least 10 to 15 athletes in every locker room are flat-earthers. Jason Kelce, however, added that if someone were to conduct an anonymous poll about it, the number of flat-earth believers could potentially jump up to 20%, equating to approximately 11 players out of a 53-man roster.

“Dude, honestly, there are at least 10 to 15 guys in every locker room; I would imagine,” Travis remarked, followed by Jason adding, “If you took an anonymous poll like nobody had to disclose their name or anything like that, you’re over 15% of an NFL locker room… Maybe over 20.”

This revelation baffled the Ricky Stanicky actor, but Travis consoled him by jokingly saying, “Dude, everyone gets hit in the head.” Nevertheless, while the Kelce duo’s numbers may be somewhat exaggerated, there have been some instances when NFL players have openly admitted believing in the earth being flat.

Darius Slay, Sammy Watkins, and Others Are Flat-Earthers

As per Sports Illustrated, free agent wide receiver Sammy Watkins claimed back in 2017 that the earth is flat. But he isn’t the only NFL athlete on that list, as Eagles CB Darius Slay told Tori Petry of DetroitLions.com back in 2018 that the earth is flat.

“I mean, I think it is (flat), we’re walking flat, so how is it round?,” claimed the All-Pro cornerback.

Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen followed suit just last year and claimed the same thing. “PSA,” Queen wrote in a tweet. “Earth is flat. Thank you. Carry on!!”

The list goes on! Former Texas Tech safety, Tyler Owens, apparently told reporters at the Scouting Combine that he doesn’t believe in space or any other planets. Thus, he finds the Flat Earth Theory ‘interesting’ and ‘valid’.

“Nah, I don’t believe in space…. like, you know, I’m religious, so I think like… we’re on our own right now. I don’t think there’s, like, other planets, and stuff like that. I don’t know,” Owens said, as per DailyMail.

Even Seahawks QB Geno Smith has claimed that the whole thing is still up for debate. Moreover, Jason Kelce once revealed that, out of curiosity, he had asked one of his coaches about the Flat Earth Theory and if anyone believed in it. Right there and then, an athlete nearby said, “I mean how you know it isn’t?”

Despite its absurdity, the debate will rage on till the end of time, it seems. However, there are simple experiments that can be conducted in front of a flat-earther to convince them otherwise, as perfectly demonstrated by Wired.

About the author

Samnur Reza

Samnur Reza, or "Rocky," is an NFL editor for the SportsRush. Although his love for football began with Tom Brady, he’s now a devoted fan of Jalen Hurts and is keeping his fingers crossed for the first ring. When asked how he remains loyal to the Eagles, he channels his inner Jim from The Office and responds, 'On a wing and a prayer.' Much like his love for football, Rocky is a dedicated cinephile with an impressive amount of screen time. He’s also fond of cats and has a furry friend named ‘Eva’.

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What NBA star claimed that the earth is flat?

The flat Earth theory contradicts scientific principles and evidence, including gravity and satellite imagery.

Title:

Content: 9 of TikTok's most controversial and viral conspiracies - including Area 51, One Direction and JonBenét Ramsey

These are the top nine viral conspiracy theories which are being discussed on TikTok right now - including theories about celebrities and mythical creatures
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From secret societies to extraterrestrial enigmas, people like to discuss conspiracy theories. There are many things which do not make sense in this world, and some things which have had people stumped for decades. In some cases, people hope to finally uncover the truth behind some unsolved mysteries, and in others they are convinced something is being hidden.

To find out what the most widely discussed conspiracy theories are in 2024, VegasSlotsOnline has analysed the number of TikTok hashtags for over 45 of the biggest conspiracy theories worldwide, to determine the most popular conspiracies of 2024. The following are the nine top theories which have gone viral on the popular social media platform.

Illuminati

The Illuminati were originally a secret society founded in Bavaria in the 1700s, intending to replace Christianity with a “religion of reason”. The group was said to be shut down by the government after a decade, but some conspiracy theorists believe the society still exists today - and not only that it's operating in secret with a plan to take over the world. Famous figures accused of being part of the Illuminati include US presidents, pop singers and actors.

27 club

Despite sounding like a fun, exclusive society, the 27 Club definitely isn’t one you would want to be in. The name refers to a list of celebrities who have also passed away at age 27, including Jimi Hendrix, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse, to name just a few.

Area 51

Area 51 refers to a highly classified United States Air Force facility in Nevada, and it’s very real. The conspiracy theories behind it, however, may not be. The base’s top-secret nature has led to a range of wild theories over the years, with the most popular being that it’s used to carry out research on UFOs and extraterrestrial beings that the US government is keeping under wraps.

JonBenét Ramsey is alive

JonBenét Ramsey, aged 6, was supposedly killed in her family home in 1996. Her killer has never been officially identified, but there are many unusual details about the case, such as a ransom note found in the family’s home, that have sparked a range of popular theories over the years. One particularly outlandish theory is that JonBenét has not died and is actually still alive, despite evidence to the contrary.

'Larries'

‘Larries’ are hardcore One Direction fans who support the idea that Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, former bandmates of the hugely popular boyband, are in a romantic relationship. Despite the two artists repeatedly denying these claims, many fans are still insistent that the band’s former management encouraged the pair to keep their relationship secret. Styles is dating model and actress Taylor Russell. Tomlinson is said to be growing close to his on/off girlfriend Eleanor Calder again.

Murder of John Lennon

Beatles musician John Lennon was fatally shot in December 1980 at the age of 40 by an enraged fan. Ever since, conspiracy theories suggesting that the CIA were involved in his death have sprung up in various places, including books and documentaries. The CIA and FBI kept eyes on Lennon due to his left-wing activism, and theorists have suggested that his murderer, Mark Chapman, was operating on their behalf.

BigFoot

The legend of BigFoot dates back thousands of years and is now a modern household name. Theorists believe that a dangerous ape-like creature exists in the forests of North America, occasionally revealing itself to hikers and campers. Many have shared supposed encounters in the form of giant footprints and blurry photographs, though there is still no credible evidence to prove the creature’s existence.

Planet X

Planet X, sometimes known as the Nibiru cataclysm, is a doomsday conspiracy theory with roots in the early 20th century. Its believers theorise that an undiscovered large planet in our solar system will, at some point, collide with Earth. This hypothetical planet is not recognised in mainstream astronomy, however, and is generally rejected by the scientific community for lacking substantial evidence.

Flat earth

One of social media’s most prevalent conspiracy theories is that the Earth is flat in shape rather than a sphere. Many ‘flat earthers’ reject scientific evidence, such as gravity and satellite imagery, with some even suggesting that governments and corporations are keeping the earth’s flat shape a secret from the masses. The flat earth theory is frequently disproved as it contradicts solid scientific principles.

What scientific evidence do "flat earthers" reject?

People who believe in a flat Earth tend to distrust scientists, are open to conspiracies, and are misled by social media misinformation.

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Who's most likely to be open to conspiracy theories? UNH research points to millennials and Trump supporters

Who are the groups most likely to believe in conspiracy theories? That’s the question a University of New Hampshire researcher recently set out to solve.

Sociology professor Lawrence Hamilton looked into national survey data gauging public beliefs in several conspiracy theories, including: "NASA astronauts did not really land on the Moon" and "The Earth is flat, not round."

After digging into that data, Hamilton found "acceptance or openness to conspiracy beliefs was significantly higher among certain subgroups, including Millennials and supporters of ex-president Trump."

NHPR’s Rick Ganley talked with Hamilton about his findings — and the role social media plays in spreading conspiracy theories. Below is a transcript of their conversation, lightly edited for clarity.

Read more about Hamilton's research here.

Transcript

Rick Ganley: It's worth noting that some of these conspiracy theories are old. Some are more recent. But all of them seemingly were given a boost by social media. And it's not hard to find false information, obviously, about topics online. Did you find it used to be much harder to hear about or be convinced of something like this?

Lawrence Hamilton: Well, I've never asked these questions before, so I don't have my own data. There are Gallup polls going back to the late 1990s that seem to find much smaller fractions of people thinking that the moon landings were faked, for example. So there's some kind of indirect evidence. I don't know if anybody tracked it very well. The number of people who've heard about these theories [that's] rising are the people who are drawn into them. And I'm sure that YouTube and social media — people describe it as a rabbit hole, where if you start watching one video [alleging the Earth is flat], they'll recommend another one for you. And pretty soon it seems like the whole world is all about flat Earth.

Rick Ganley: Your research looked into the political leanings of people who responded. What did you find there?

Lawrence Hamilton: We did find a political correlation, and that wasn't a foregone conclusion, because I had specifically chosen conspiracy theories that are not known to have a clear political [connection]. I mean, there's been a lot of research going back really to the 1960s on the paranoid style in American politics that has found conspiracy theories are more popular among conservatives across a range of issues. In the 1950s, it was conspiracies by Communist infiltration in the U.S. government. Now, it may be conspiracies directed at politicians — [alleging without evidence that former President Barack] Obama is a Muslim, or [President Joe] Biden stole the 2020 election — and others that are targeted at scientists, like climate change is a hoax, COVID-19 is a hoax or COVID precautions or vaccines are a hoax. And I chose none of those. I chose things like: ‘The moon landings were fake,’ or ‘Earth is flat,’ ‘Vaccines implant microchips.’ So it was interesting to find that even there, there's a conservative preference.

Rick Ganley: A lot of this does come down to faith in science and academics and what so-called experts have to say. Do you see this as evidence of a decline in faith in institutions?

Lawrence Hamilton: Well, I would say there's a decline — and this is something we do have data on — there's a wide decline in trust in scientists, and it's largely partisan. It's not so much happening among people who self-identify as liberal or moderate. But among people who identify as conservative or very conservative, there's definitely a decline in trust in scientists. The COVID pandemic was an interesting case in point, because we were actually tracking this on surveys, and trust in the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] took an enormous nosedive over space about four months, specifically among conservatives. Other groups didn't change. But the conservative trust in the CDC took this huge dive when [former President] Donald Trump's tweeting turned from praising the CDC to attacking it. And with that flip, conservative trust in the CDC flipped as well, and nobody else has changed much.

Rick Ganley: Your research also highlighted a pattern having to do with age. Respondents who classify themselves as millennials, that is those born between 1981 and 1996, were the most likely to agree with some of the conspiracies that you posed. And Gen Zs, I guess, were also more inclined than older respondents. What did you find there?

Lawrence Hamilton: Well, some of that corresponded to previous surveys. There's a section at the end of our report where we say, well, how does this compare with what other people have found? Just as a reality check. And that's been reported by a number of other studies as well. So millennials in particular, and Gen Z to a slightly lesser extent, were much less skeptical about the conspiracies compared with boomers or older generations. And one explanation that's been offered for that, well, two explanations: Regarding the moon landings, of course, older generations lived through those and remember the national pride and excitement and so forth, whereas [for] younger generations, it's something in the history books. So maybe they don't have that sense of having been there when it happened. But the other thing is that you could expect younger generations to be more engaged with social media, which for some people could take them down these rabbit holes again.

Rick Ganley: Does your research have any suggestions on how to stop people from believing in conspiracy theories?

Lawrence Hamilton: That's a real hard one because there's this tendency to get into information silos where all you hear are the voices that reinforce your prejudices. And a thing about conspiracies is that they will give you a reason to reject anything that contradicts them. People have been seeing [the science behind] climate change for a long time, [and] you can't go in with fact sheets. That doesn't persuade anybody. They'll just become convinced that you're part of the hoax, too. There aren't any simple answers. The strongest recommendation is that scientists stay engaged in public communication through every channel they have, and that they try to make their conclusions understandable or accessible to people from a lot of different walks of life who obviously are not reading the peer review journals.

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The resurgence of flat Earth beliefs may be attributed to social media misinformation and a lack of critical thinking.

Flat Earth believers often cite the lack of visible curvature in footage as proof of their viewpoint.

Title:

Content: Virgin Galactic's history-making space launch has left flat Earth conspiracy theorists losing their minds at the surface of the planet.

Fuming conspiracy theorists believe the recent live stream footage of three civilian astronauts heading into space proves they are correct about their claims.

A few comments on the YouTube livestream saw the nutters break through with their wild theories, foaming at the mouth as they pointed out the lack of "oval" in the Earth.

READ MORE: Virgin Galactic's first civilian spaceflight enters space with Olympian onboard

Their comments were drowned out by furious believers in the spherical nature of the planet, telling others not to "feed the flat earth trolls" as they vied for attention.

One mad comment read "THAT DOESNT LOOK LIKE AN OVAL TO ME," while another equally reasonable individual added: "LOOK AT IT??!!! WHERE IS THE CURVE IN THE EARTH?!!"

Their totally sane comments come as the Richard Branson-owned company set off on a history making flight, taking a former Olympian and a mother-daughter duo to the edges of the atmosphere.

The trio' weightless triumph was not all good news though as a small collection of conspiracy-mad individuals believed it was evidence of a flat Earth.

A third tin foil hat wearer added: "This looks like a flat earth to me."

But cooler heads in the comments prevailed, or tried to, as they hit back at those claiming the earth was flat and tried to reason with those responding to the conspiracy nuts.

One person wrote: "Between the flat-Earthies and the anti-woke twits, this chat is a bit of a fail. Congrats to the crew and the passengers and the people who aren't all bottom hurt by other people doing things."

Another added: "Don't feed the flat earth trolls."

But still the conspiracy-mad members of chat pushed on, with some saying "you can literally see the flat edge of earth" while another, quite plainly, wrote: "IT IS FLAT."

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To assess if a flat Earth believer's views are harmless, look for signs of critical thinking, skepticism, and a willingness to evaluate evidence and change their beliefs.

Believing in multiple conspiracy theories may indicate susceptibility to misinformation and manipulation.

A teenager befriending someone from a family of flat-earthers may be exposed to misinformation and harm from conspiracy theories.

Parents and guardians can mitigate risks by promoting critical thinking and media literacy to debunk conspiracy theories.

Teenagers seeking independence may be more susceptible to misinformation from conspiracy theories.

Title:

Content: Seminar: How to Deal with Dating Mistakes and Communication Frustration
2024 Monday, 1 July 13: 42
(Illustration: unsplash @ Shunsuke Ono)
In June, the Family Ministry of Skyway Gospel Center held an online seminar to help young people understand the misunderstanding of friendship building, and gave parents five suggestions to learn about Jesus ’ ways of communication to help children build healthy relationships.
Teenagers grow up, their moods change.
Life River Church Youth Evangelist David Huang mentioned in the lecture that typical characteristics of young people include: the desire for independence, identity exploration, the sense of belonging, the experience of complex feelings in response to changes, they are experiencing changes in physiology, thinking, feeling, psychology, and mood.
Thirteen-year-olds are often a critical time when they start to think about the life they want, want to get out of the situation, seek acceptance, and have to deal with many changes.
These changes are novel to them, so they may encounter difficulties in dating relationships.
In high school, many friendships change for a variety of reasons, and sometimes the best friends are inevitably alienated.
Even at school or online, your first friends may become distant.
Communication frustrations turn to the virtual world
There may be misjudgments in growing up, such as unrealistic expectations, skipping trust building, self-protection, ignoring emotional triggers, and unexpected communication.
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Sometimes teenagers have unrealistic expectations of their friends, hoping that they can achieve perfection without giving enough knowledge and understanding.
This can easily lead to disappointment and conflict.
When building a new friendship, the desire to share what you hear or see with each other, but sometimes sharing too much and worrying about being taken out by friends to share with others, often hurts.
Some teenagers hide their feelings and troubles and are reluctant to share them, such as what happened at school, don ’ t want to talk to their parents, or keep things at home hidden, which can lead to isolation and lack of support.
There is also the neglect of emotional triggers, adolescents in the face of stress and emotional distress, sometimes ignore the impact of these emotions, and do not take the initiative to deal with it, which may let the emotions gradually accumulate and eventually explode.
In communication, after many setbacks, many teenagers do not want to communicate in the real world and find other places to replace them, which may lead them to find other ways to express themselves, such as through technology and the virtual world.
5 Tips for Parents to Learn Jesus' Way of Communicating
The speaker gave parents five suggestions, such as: free time to talk, build a "village" for their children, set an example of good friendship behavior, find resources for self-study, and give children the opportunity to acquire skills.
The family gets along, the child is watching, because the family is the child's place, he may put the headset on, but in the parents communication mode to learn.
The way Jesus communicates provides a good model with an emphasis on inclusion, communication and understanding.
Parents play a key role in this process, and they have a huge responsibility to spend time with their children, providing them with the appropriate tools and guidance to help them build healthy relationships and acquire the appropriate skills to navigate this critical stage of growth.
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Friendship with someone from a family of flat-earthers can have long-term psychological effects on a teenager's mental health and worldview.

Title:

Content: Entertainment And News

Homeschooled Teen Asks How To Confess To His Dad That He Made A Buddy At Work Because He's Not Allowed To Have Friends

Photo: SynthEx / Shutterstock

A teen's heartbreaking request for advice on how to talk to his strict parents has left people on Reddit unnerved and angry about what many feel is a case of an insidious type of abuse.

The homeschooled teen is not allowed to have friends and is afraid to tell his dad he made a buddy at his volunteer job.

Homeschooling is on the rise in many parts of the country, and while it is an understandable choice given the danger of violence many kids face in schools nowadays, it has an often ignored underbelly.

Given the almost complete lack of oversight, experts say homeschooling is often used to hide abuse and religious and political extremism, and many adults who were homeschooled speak openly about how damaging it was to their social skills and mental health.

RELATED: First-Time Dad Confesses He Doesn't 'Enjoy Time' With His Newborn

This 17-year-old boy who wrote into Reddit is unfortunately a perfect example of that underbelly. His parents pulled him out of school and have forbidden him to have friends because "they believe having friends will take you away from your family," as he put it in his harrowing post

He is not allowed to talk to anyone from his former public school, and his father took his phone away when it was discovered he was texting them, replacing it with a kids' phone that has very few features. They also "cold-shouldered" him "for months" over the betrayal.

He became so lonely he began volunteering, and now he doesn't know how to confess to his father that he made a friend.

"The loneliness got to the point though where I decided to apply for some high school programs in my area," he went on to write. "I volunteer at two museums and I get the opportunity to talk to kids my age while pursuing the career I want." He loves it, and his parents have allowed it.

He tries to keep himself isolated while volunteering "because I don't want to make any friends I know I can't have." But he hit it off with a kid who shares his interests, and they've quickly become friends. He then snuck into the parents' portal for his phone to add the kid to his contacts, and they've been texting each other.

But he is terrified of the moment his father finds out, which he knows is inevitable. "We don't talk about anything bad either we just talk about music and the museum that's it," he says, "but knowing from experience my dad won't see it that way… man, I don't want to get in trouble."

If you're jumping out of your skin reading this, you are not alone—nearly everyone on Reddit was shocked and disturbed by his story, as well as those from previous posts about his father destroying his belongings and threatening his life in what is an obvious and harrowing situation of abuse.

RELATED: Teen Won't Speak To Her Mom Ever Again After Learning That The Acceptance Email To Her Dream College Was Hidden From Her

Deliberate isolation is one of the primary mechanisms of psychological and emotional abuse, and homeschooling is often used for this purpose.

There are no two ways about it — regardless of these parents' motivations, whether it be safety concerns or a desire to keep their son away from corrupting influences that run counter to their religious beliefs — what they are doing is clear-cut psychological abuse.

Mental health professionals define psychological abuse of a child as bullying, terrorizing, coercive control, severe insults, debasement, threats, overwhelming demands, shunning, and/or isolation inflicted by a caregiver.

Isolation is a frequent tactic of abusers to render a victim entirely dependent, and homeschooling itself is not uncommonly used as an isolation tactic on children by abusers. The lack of oversight and mandated reporters present in homeschooled kids' lives means they often have no way to access help.

Psychological and emotional abuse is often even more damaging than physical or sexual abuse, according to the American Psychological Association, with victims in some cases suffering even higher rates of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and suicidality.

Given his home environment and previous posts the boy had made about other types of abuse like death threats from his father, many Redditors had similar advice for this kid: Do not tell your parents anything about your friend, and get out of your home environment as soon as you can.

Photo: SynthEx / Shutterstock

That is easier said than done, of course — which is part of the point of the isolation. Hopefully, this kid can find an adult he can trust who can help him get to safety as soon as he can.

Nobody should be subjected to what his parents are doing to him, no matter what their reasons are. It is also a reminder to all of us to keep an eye on the kids in our communities. Many more need help than we realize.

If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or the threat of abuse, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for help at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or go to www.thehotline.org.

RELATED: 21 People With Difficult Childhoods Share Something They Do Now That Is A Direct Result Of Their Trauma

John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.

Deliberate isolation used by flat-earther families can cause anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem in teenagers.

Experts suggest prioritizing verified information and limiting conspiracy content to counter conspiracy theories.

Title:

Content: Opinion: Why Conspiracy rules in social networks
10.06.2022, 16: 10, News of the day
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During the election campaign in the United States in 2016, a story known as # Pizzagate was actively distributed on social networks.
It alleged that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was implicated in the exploitation of children at a pizzeria in Washington.
The story was ridiculous and no one seemed to take it seriously.
Just before the # Pizzagate supporter opened fire on the restaurant.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, but this episode raised two questions that remain relevant a few years later: why are fakes so widely spread on social networks?
Is there a way to effectively confront them?
During the election campaign in the United States in 2016, a story known as # Pizzagate was actively distributed on social networks.
It alleged that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was implicated in the exploitation of children at a pizzeria in Washington.
The story was ridiculous and no one seemed to take it seriously.
Just before the # Pizzagate supporter opened fire on the restaurant.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, but this episode raised two questions that remain relevant a few years later: why are fakes so widely spread on social networks?
Is there a way to effectively confront them?
Of course, fakes do not fly around social networks just like that.
This is facilitated by the recommendation algorithms of the sites.
Initially, the IT giants set them up so that they worked on the concept of “growth at any cost ”: the user had to stay on the platform as long as possible, get as much involvement from him and, therefore,“ sell ” it more expensive to advertisers.
Business, nothing personal.
And then in the course of human psychology - the most reactions and user attention are collected by negative or sensational materials that appeal to emotions.
That is why fakes, scandals, cruel and provocative content are actively promoted by algorithms.
According to the same principles, users come across conspiracy theories that accumulate outright lies, knowingly incorrect interpretations, often aggression and provocations.
I am sure that the seriousness of the problem is obvious: the spread of fakes can lead to discrimination, persecution and violence.
So, after the recent tragedy – the shooting at a primary school in Texas on May 24 – wild conspiracy theories and fakes about the massacre began to circulate instantly on social networks.
Internet users searched for the culprit, discussed his motives on Twitter, Reddit and other social networks.
False accusations were made against a variety of minorities, which gave rise to a serious fear of further discrimination and violence.
Although social networks are aware of the problem and even try to deal with it, they most often use an approach that does not give proper results: moderators try to identify the most dangerous theories and fight them.
According to a group of researchers from Jigsaw, a division of Google, and consulting company ReD, this is not enough to stop the spread of conspiracy.
According to experts, what matters is not whether theories are dangerous, but to what extent people have been or have not been exposed to them.
The researchers noted that those who were profoundly obsessed with conspiracy theories were as likely to believe in harmless conspiracies as they were to believe in dangerous ones.
This is confirmed by the study of how conspiracy and dangerous theories are spread specifically on YouTube.
A group of scientists found that the video hosting service rarely offers videos that may contain conspiracy theories or extremist messages to those people who do not show much interest in such materials.
And these people are unlikely to follow such recommendations of algorithms.
But that doesn ’ t mean YouTube isn ’ t capable of radicalizing opinions and polarizing people.
The study found that YouTube helps strengthen the beliefs of people exposed to conspiracy and extremist sentiments.
So, if you go into details, the share of 0.6% of the study participants accounted for 80% of the total time of viewing YouTube channels that were classified as extremist.
Approximately one in four videos that the video host recommended to people watching extremist or dangerous content contained destructive content.
And it should be understood that even a small part of the YouTube audience that regularly watches this is millions of people.
What tools could IT giants use to avoid future # Pizzagates?
According to experts, the actions of social networks aimed at prioritizing verified information, as well as demonetizing, limiting coverage or removing conspiracy and misinforming content can help.
But conspiracy theories and fakes adapt and spread much faster than fact-checking.
In my opinion, first of all, platforms should think about eliminating the cause of the problem, not its consequences through moderation.
How to reconfigure your algorithms so that they do not contribute to the polarization of people?
What should be done to ensure that they do not reinforce the beliefs of users interested in conspiracy or extremist content: for example, do not offer automatic viewing of these videos or recommendations similar?
And most importantly, are they ready to make the work of algorithms understandable and transparent for everyone for the sake of public safety?
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Important!
In the context of a “special military operation ”, it is impossible to verify information about what is happening in Ukraine, which is disseminated even by official representatives of the conflicting parties, as well as their political statements.
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Those who subscribe to flat Earth beliefs may be individuals susceptible to misinformation and conspiracy theories.