Language Mutations Sustain the Persistence of Conspiracy Theories on Social Media
papers.ssrn.com
Conspiracy theories survive platform crackdowns not by luck but by evolving their language like viruses — and this study reveals the mutation mechanics behind their stubborn persistence.
Memetic TheoryCultural EvolutionSocial Contagion TheoryInformation Diffusion
Theory Briefing
- A three-year dataset tracks how conspiracy theories rewire their wording to evade detection and keep spreading on social media.
- Like biological mutations, small linguistic shifts let harmful narratives survive algorithmic and moderation pressures — a textbook memetic evolution pattern.
- Understanding these language mutations exposes a critical flaw in content-moderation strategies that target keywords rather than underlying narrative structures.