The study outlines a model for how the COVID-19 pandemic has uniquely exacerbated the propagation of conspiracy beliefs and subsequent harmful behaviors. The pandemic has led to widespread disruption of cognitive and social structures. As people face these disruptions they turn online seeking alternative cognitive and social structures. Once there, social media radicalizes beliefs, increasing contagion (rapid spread) and stickiness (resistance to change) of conspiracy theories. As conspiracy theories are reinforced in online communities, social norms develop, translating conspiracy beliefs into real-world action. These real-world exchanges are then posted back on social media, where they are further reinforced and amplified, and the cycle continues. In the broader population, this process draws attention to conspiracy theories and those who confidently espouse them. This attention can drive perceptions that conspiracy beliefs are less fringe and more popular, potentially normalizing such beliefs for the mainstream. We conclude by considering interventions and future research to address this seemingly intractable problem.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行和寻找结构：社交媒体和阴谋论

该研究概述了 COVID-19 大流行如何独特地加剧了阴谋信念的传播和随后的有害行为的模型。大流行导致认知和社会结构的广泛破坏。当人们面临这些干扰时，他们转向在线寻求替代的认知和社会结构。一旦到了那里，社交媒体就会激化信仰，增加阴谋论的传染性（迅速传播）和粘性（抵制改变）。随着阴谋论在在线社区中得到加强，社会规范也在发展，将阴谋论转化为现实世界的行动。这些现实世界的交流然后被发布回社交媒体，在那里它们被进一步加强和放大，并且循环继续。在更广泛的人群中，这一过程引起了人们对阴谋论的关注，以及那些自信地支持它们的人。这种关注可以推动人们认为阴谋信念不那么边缘化并且更受欢迎，从而可能使主流信念正常化。最后，我们考虑干预措施和未来的研究来解决这个看似棘手的问题。