Communicating conspiracy fantasies

In the wake of Britain’s Brexit referendum (2016) and Boris Johnson’s subsequent “Get Brexit Done!” election win (2019), Donald Trump’s 2016 election win and his Capitol Hill Riot (2021), as well as the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022), conspiracy theories or what this chapter calls conspiracy fantasies received renewed currency. The key element to all conspiracy fantasies is that these need to be communicated to those who follow conspiracy fantasies. Instead of conspiracy theories, this chapter argues that these are not theories in the scientific understanding but merely fantasies. Having clarified this, the chapter outlines three types of conspiracy fantasies. This is followed by what might be called the three “Nothings and Everythings” of conspiracy fantasies. Since those who invent and propagate conspiracy fantasies have – all too often ideological – motives, part four examines these motivations. Beyond that, virtually all conspiracy fantasies have a few common denominators defining conspiracy fantasies. Key to right-wing conspiracy fantasies, for example, is its ability to drive a populist mobilisation. Yet, this chapter not only illuminates what conspiracy fantasies are and how they operate, it also delineates two key communication strategies on how to prevent conspiracy fantasies and on how to debunk conspiracy fantasies.