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02/09/2023 | Porträts und Geschichten

Alarm system for conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theory texts often show certain linguistic patterns - sometimes it is even worth counting words

The twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York were blown up by the US government in 2001. Also perfectly clear: The pictures of the first moon landing were taken in the studio and, of course, through the contrails of airplanes, poisons are sprayed to control our minds. Conspiracy myths like these have always existed; however, with the constant fire of social media and digital echo chambers, corresponding narratives are emerging and spreading more easily than ever. They are not always as easy to see through as the "chemtrails" claim. What to do? The Kassel Germanist Prof. Dr. David Römer takes an original approach. Using linguistic means, he provides society with a method for recognizing patterns of language and argumentation in conspiracy theory texts.

Because some conspiracy myths can be laughed off - others better not. At the end of last year, the "Reichsbürger" raids cast a harsh light on a milieu that cultivates the idea that the Federal Republic is not a legitimate state, that the constitution of the Kaiserreich is still in force. "The spread of conspiracy theories is often accompanied by a radicalization of certain social groups," Römer notes; this makes them a destabilizing factor for society. Three years ago, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation found in a study that about one-third of 1900 people surveyed thought politicians were puppets of other powers. "This is just one reason why we need to take seriously that people believe in conspiracy theories, and why we should deal with knowledge about alleged conspiracies, regardless of the question of its validity," Römer continued. "One way we get access to this knowledge is through language."

In a project funded by the DFG, Römer is evaluating texts by machine, among other things: Party programs, postings in social media, comments under Youtube videos. Topics include conspiracy theories about man-made climate change, the attack on the Christmas market at Berlin's Breitscheidplatz, and migration. On several levels, he registered certain linguistic patterns in texts that question general beliefs - Römer speaks of "orthodox knowledge". In vocabulary: "There is a vocabulary that is specific to conspiracy theory contexts," Römer says. In research, it is called "debunking vocabulary" because it is used by the speaker or author of a text to declare accepted knowledge as "false." This includes accumulations of negation words such as "not" and "no" and relativizing term e such as "allegedly," "supposedly," "comically." In purely quantitative terms, it can be determined that such words occur up to ten times more frequently in the relevant texts than in the general vocabulary. On a metaphorical level: concepts are often transferred from one area to another in order to interpret them in a new way. Römer speaks of "conceptual metaphors" and cites the discussion about man-made climate change as an example. People who questioned this used "terms from the religious realm to discredit scientific findings. The talk is then of climate disciples, climate dogmas, or doctrines of faith, where it's really about the realm of knowledge."

In Argumentation Patterns: Dominant knowledge is discredited by a small-scale presentation of evidence at the (ostensibly) scientific level. For example, theories circulate that the steel frame of the World Trade Center should have been able to withstand the debris damage and fires, which is why only a targeted demolition could have led to the collapse. Römer: "Especially pseudo-scientific argumentations are hardly verifiable for laymen." The "Language in Conspiracy Theories" project is funded by the DFG. His method provides clues, Römer emphasizes; it is no substitute for a substantive debate. It is also important to him to emphasize that dissent and contradiction to prevailing knowledge are not to be rejected per se - ultimately, science also lives from this. However, positions that endanger democracy must be dealt with.

 

This article appeared in the university magazine publik 2023/1. Text: Sebastian Mense