🧠 Navigating Conspiracy in the Digital Age: Between Critical Thinking and Certainty

A couple of weeks ago, I attended an insightful (and subtly provocative) event hosted by the French Consulate on conspiracy theories in the digital age, moderated by Radio-Canada’s Gabrielle Sabourin, featuring Rudy Reichstadt, founder of Conspiracy Watch. Students from the UniversitĂ© de l’Ontario Français also shared perspectives shaped by their immersion in digital culture.

As someone who works at the intersection of technology, behavioral insight, and strategic communication, I came away with two impressions:

  1. The danger posed by disinformation is real—and accelerating.

  2. The battle against it risks becoming dogmatic in its own right.

📈 From Fringe to Feed: How Conspiracies Gain Momentum

Rudy offered a compelling historical lens. The 9/11 attacks marked a turning point, where fringe conspiracy narratives—once confined to the political extremes—began influencing broader populations. Months after the attacks, alternative versions emerged. Years later, their impact was still spreading.

In response, he launched Conspiracy Watch, driven by a personal concern dating back to his teenage years around Holocaust denialism. That worry has evolved with the times, extending to pandemic skepticism, anti-vaccine movements, climate change denial, and geopolitical conspiracies.

A key insight: conspiracies no longer die. They persist. Rudy described them as “zombie ideas”, kept alive by digital permanence and algorithmic amplification.

And there’s data to back that up:

  • 7 out of 10 YouTube videos watched are algorithm-driven

  • More than 100,000 years’ worth of YouTube videos are watched daily

  • Half of all content shared on X (formerly Twitter) hasn’t even been read

  • A 2016 study showed seniors were the most likely to share fake news on Facebook

These platforms reward the sensational, not the factual.

đŸ§Ș Why Conspiracies Resonate: Simplicity, Certainty, Community

Rudy broke down the psychological ingredients of a conspiracy theory:

  • There’s always a scapegoat

  • There’s always uncertainty (“we’ll never know what really happened”)

  • And there’s often a rejection of reality, replaced with emotional conviction

This helps explain why conspiracies feel empowering: they offer certainty in a world full of doubt, complexity, and moral ambiguity. They provide a sense of control and, perhaps most powerfully, a sense of belonging.

As he put it: “The conspiracy mindset isn’t always about fascination—it can also be rooted in fear, anger, or a refusal to accept powerlessness.”

And while Rudy was persuasive, I couldn’t help but notice a hint of intellectual rigidity in his own approach—particularly in how confidently he claimed to identify “real experts” and how firmly he dismissed alternative interpretations. It made me reflect on the fine line between healthy skepticism and intellectual dogma.

⚠ Enter Brandolini’s Law: The Disinformation Asymmetry

One of the most important frameworks shared during the discussion was Brandolini’s Law:

“The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude greater than to produce it.”

And it shows. It’s exponentially easier—and cheaper—to create false narratives than to verify accurate ones. A true, verified piece of information requires time, resources, expertise. A conspiracy meme, on the other hand? Seconds.

This asymmetry is the crux of the disinformation crisis.

Add to that the sheer scale of content (YouTube, Telegram, X) and the collapse of editorial gatekeeping, and it’s easy to see why trust in media, institutions, and even truth itself is eroding.

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đŸ›Ąïž Is There a Solution?

Rudy emphasized education, critical thinking, and quality journalism. He also advocated for platform accountability—noting that Telegram’s founder was detained in France amid a child exploitation investigation, yet many still view the platform as an untouchable pillar of free speech.

Other actionable insights:

  • Signal misinformation on platforms when detected

  • Compare opposing channels, even if they contradict your beliefs

  • Understand how real conspiracies have actually unfolded—they rarely look like the theories

  • Slow down—speed is the enemy of accuracy, and clickbait doesn’t equal credibility

Importantly, Rudy made space for constructive doubt. “It’s not about refusing to question authority,” he said, “It’s about recognizing when doubt becomes a substitute for evidence.”

A line I really appreciated.

🔄 Final Reflection: When Debunking Becomes Dogma

While I valued Rudy’s urgency and depth, I also walked away wondering: What happens when the fight against disinformation becomes inflexible itself? His ability to call out misinformation is sharp—but it sometimes came with a certainty that made me pause.

What if, in our effort to combat false narratives, we become less open to complexity and nuance?

That’s the paradox of our era: we need clarity without oversimplification, and confidence without certainty. We need to protect truth while still questioning power.

Let’s not lose sight of that balance.

Peggy Van de Plassche is a seasoned advisor with over 20 years of experience in financial services, healthcare, and technology. She specializes in guiding boards and C-suite executives through transformational change, leveraging technology and capital allocation to drive growth and innovation. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, Peggy also brings unique expertise in navigating complex issues and fostering public-private partnerships—key elements in shaping the Future of Business. Her skill set includes strategic leadership, capital allocation, transaction advisory, technology integration, and governance. Notable clients include BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. For more information, visit peggyvandeplassche.com.

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