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Why the chemtrail conspiracy theory lingers and grows – and why Tucker Carlson is talking about it

Why the chemtrail conspiracy theory lingers and grows – and why Tucker Carlson is talking about it

A communications researcher lays out the dynamics of conspiracy theory belief and why they gain traction in times of anxiety and uncertainty.

The chemtrails theory has circulated since 1996, when conspiracy theorists misinterpreted a U.S. Air Force research paper about weather modification, a valid topic of research. Social media and conservative news outlets have since magnified the conspiracy theory. One recent study notes that X, formerly Twitter, is a particularly active node of this “broad online community of conspiracy.”

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