Since 9/11, conspiratorial theories have proliferated on the Internet, sowing mistrust of the official discourse and polarizing our society. Presenting themselves as "alternatives", they claim to re-establish a misguided "truth".
While the fantasy of an occult group acting in the shadows to accomplish a Machiavellian goal is not new, it is important to know the current driving forces behind this phenomenon. For these conspiracy theories have revived fascist-inspired and anti-Semitic discourses, giving them a "modern" flavour. Against a backdrop of Islamophobia and hatred of Jews, they are underpinned by a reactionary ideology that feeds on contemporary socio-political problems.
It is essential to make the right diagnosis because, far from being the work of eccentric or ignorant people, conspiracy is the symptom of a real social disease.
