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Dismantling Conspiracy Theories: Metaliteracy and other Strategies for an Information-Disordered World
246 pages, Hardcover
Published August 22, 2024
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October 11, 2024
“Dismantling Conspiracy Theories: Metaliteracy and Other Strategies for an Information-Disordered World,” details the history behind our current “unprecedented information age,” and the emergence of the superconspiracy QAnon as part of the “overwhelming rising tide of conspiracism”(Greer & Beene, 2024). The urgency of the subject was highlighted by both the COVID-19 pandemic and the release of their article “A Call to Action for Librarians: Countering Conspiracy Theories in the Age of QAnon,” preceding the January 6th insurrection by mere days. Delving into the psychological and philosophical factors behind conspiratorial thinking, the book explores how distrust is exploited in a “post-truth America,” and presents strategies for moving beyond information literacy into engaging metaliteracy through critical and reparative pedagogies.
Greer and Beene’s approach is unique in its thorough contextual history, analysis, and interdisciplinary methodology both for understanding how we got here and how we might move forward. What struck me most about “Dismantling Conspiracy Theories” was the through-line that we’re all human, we all make mistakes, and we’re all capable of learning and growing together. In fact, Greer and Beene open many chapters of “Dismantling Conspiracy Theories” with anecdotes of their own misinformation moments. Yet despite the pervasiveness and harm caused by dis-, mis-, and malinformation, conspiratorial thinking, and superconspiracies like QAnon, there is still hope. “Utilize empathy and care, build trust, go slowly,” the authors advise. “Full-blown conspiracy ideation is a disease of loneliness and isolation,” they write, but “social connections with friends and family can ameliorate it” (Greer & Beane, 2024).
References
Greer, K., & Beene, S. (2024). Dismantling conspiracy theories: Metaliteracy and other Strategies for an Information-Disordered World. Rowman & Littlefield.
Greer and Beene’s approach is unique in its thorough contextual history, analysis, and interdisciplinary methodology both for understanding how we got here and how we might move forward. What struck me most about “Dismantling Conspiracy Theories” was the through-line that we’re all human, we all make mistakes, and we’re all capable of learning and growing together. In fact, Greer and Beene open many chapters of “Dismantling Conspiracy Theories” with anecdotes of their own misinformation moments. Yet despite the pervasiveness and harm caused by dis-, mis-, and malinformation, conspiratorial thinking, and superconspiracies like QAnon, there is still hope. “Utilize empathy and care, build trust, go slowly,” the authors advise. “Full-blown conspiracy ideation is a disease of loneliness and isolation,” they write, but “social connections with friends and family can ameliorate it” (Greer & Beane, 2024).
References
Greer, K., & Beene, S. (2024). Dismantling conspiracy theories: Metaliteracy and other Strategies for an Information-Disordered World. Rowman & Littlefield.
Displaying 1 of 1 review