Due to the rise of the internet and social media as our primary mode of communication, information gathering, and political engagement, we are now more engaged with information than ever before. While this access to information can be a wonderful resource, it can also have negative side effects, which impact how people see themselves and the world around them. Misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories have a massive effect on our social and civic life, destroying families and relationships and can even spark mass violence such as that which occurred on January 6th 2021. 

Conspiracy theories appear whenever events are unexplained or mysterious. They circulate across social media after every major historical event such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Russian invasion of Ukraine, or Maui wildfires. In an effort to help visitors to this site understand some common conspiracy theories, we have provided a list of the conspiracy theories currently circulating online and a short description of each below.