From Political Treason To The Metaphysical Struggle Between Good And Evil. Levels Of Political Conspiracy Theories And Their Consequences For Diffusion

This study explores the prevalence of conspiracy theories in political communication. The analysis reveals that conspiratorial political discourse deviates from non-conspiratorial discourse, displaying internal inconsistencies. Various subgroups within the conspiracy theory community have developed distinct ways of perceiving, classifying, attending, and assigning meaning to events. This study contends that the appeal of conspiracy theories is rooted in their cultural embeddedness. Utilising a dataset of tweets that mentioned, replied to, or were authored by Polish politicians and political parties, this study incorporates Thick Big Data by combining quantitative analysis with qualitative content analysis. The typology of conspiracy theories includes three levels based on their deviation from conventional knowledge. These levels have been empirically illustrated in the political context of Poland. This differentiation sheds light on the diffusion of political conspiracy theories, suggesting that the probability of adoption depends on the proximity to an individual's mindscape.