The term “conspiracy theory” goes back to the late 19th century. Its use became more common after it was discussed by Karl Popper in his 1945 book The Open Society and its Enemies. In his book Popper describes and disparages the “conspiracy theory of society”, which holds that “whatever happens in society—especially happenings such as war, unemployment, poverty, shortages, which people as a rule dislike—is the result of direct design by some powerful individuals and groups.”^[1] He claims this belief is widely held, and it is clear that at that the time of publication “conspiracy theory” did not carry the connotation of being ludicrous and absurd, as it does today. The stigmatization of conspiracy theories began in the 1960s, as did use of the term “conspiracy theorist”. This was in large part a response to criticisms of the Warren Commission report into the assassination of JFK¹, as is demonstrated by a CIA document describing how its propaganda assets could attack the claims of critics. Some suggested strategies include claiming that those promoting alternative theories were politically or financially motivated, or that “parts of the conspiracy talk appear to be deliberately generated by Communist propagandists”. These same techniques still see widespread use today to censure anti-mainstream narratives.

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