Conspiracy Theories, Fake Influencers, & Media Mistrust
- Renee Spencer
- Dec 16, 2025
- 3 min read
PART 1 OF 4
I want to talk about conspiracy theories, fake influencers, or media mistrust. But first, something more more fundamental needs to be addressed. The overlap.
Not between “good people” and “bad people.”
Not between “smart” and “gullible.”
But between systems of control — and the psychological mechanisms they use. Cults (high-control groups) sometimes follow conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theorists are often part of a cult. Both can exist on their own and independently. So I've made a venn diagram to conceptualise the overlap.
This Isn’t About Who Believes What — It’s About How Belief Is Shaped
High-control groups and conspiracy ecosystems are often discussed as separate phenomena. One is framed as cultic or extremist. The other as political, cultural, or “just opinions.” But when you look closely, they frequently rely on the same psychological architecture. That doesn’t mean everyone who believes a conspiracy theory is in a cult. It means that similar methods of influence can produce similar outcomes — especially under conditions of fear, uncertainty, and grief.
Understanding this overlap is essential, because without it we misdiagnose the problem.
Why Overlap Matters — Especially After Tragedy
In the wake of violent or shocking events, people are emotionally raw. The nervous system is activated. Certainty feels safer than ambiguity. Belonging feels more urgent than nuance.
This is precisely the environment where:
rigid narratives feel comforting,
alternative “truth authorities” emerge,
and emotionally charged explanations spread faster than verified information.
If we don’t understand the overlap between high-control dynamics and conspiracy thinking, we end up arguing about facts when the real issue is psychological vulnerability and manipulation.
The Shared Middle: Where Control Lives Between Conspiracy Theories and Cults
Both high-control groups and conspiracy ecosystems often share:
Us-vs-them thinking - The world is split into the “awake” and the “deceived.”
Epistemic closure - Only approved sources are trusted; everything else is dismissed as corrupt or fake.
Emotional manipulation - Fear, outrage, and moral certainty override reflection and doubt.
Authority replacement - Influencers, leaders, or anonymous figures replace expertise and accountability.
Identity capture - Belief becomes part of who you are — not just what you think.
These mechanisms don’t require stupidity. They don’t require malice. They require human brains under stress.
Why This Series Starts Here
This four-part series is not about mocking, shaming, or “debunking” people.
It’s about:
understanding how grief and fear distort reasoning,
recognising when narratives become tools of control,
and restoring critical thinking without contempt.
The next three blogs will explore:
how trauma and denial feed conspiracy narratives,
how fake influencers monetise grief and outrage,
and how media distrust pushes people toward worse misinformation — not better truth.
But none of that makes sense unless we first understand the overlap.
This Is About Agency, Not Allegiance
When we understand manipulation, domination, deception, and narcissistic dynamics, we regain agency.
We become less reactive.
Less polarised.
Less easily used.
Truth is not found by switching teams.
It’s found by learning how influence works — and refusing to surrender our thinking to anyone who demands certainty, loyalty, or silence.
That’s where this series begins.
Why this series starts with overlap
High-control groups and conspiracy ecosystems aren’t the same — but they often use the same psychological mechanisms.
When fear, grief, or uncertainty are high, systems that offer certainty, special knowledge, and clear enemies can feel comforting.
Understanding this overlap helps us talk about misinformation, media distrust, and manipulation without blame — and with clarity.
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