Have deranged conspiracy theories actually exploded? The short answer: probably not.

This is cross-posted from my Substack.“There’s been a massive explosion of deranged conspiracy theories. It’s because of social media / right wing populism / misinformation / [fill in your favorite explanation].”This is a really common belief nowadays.But is it true?The answer is: probably not.Roughly the same percentage of people believe in deranged conspiracy theories as ever. (More nuance and evidence below).The reason it feels like there’s way more of it is probably due to:Visibility surge. ...