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Merriam-Webster defines a conspiracy theory as “a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators. Also: a theory asserting that a secret of great importance is being kept from the public.” What I find interesting is that, contrary to popular belief, a conspiracy theory is not necessarily false. So when people called social media shadow banning a “conspiracy theory,” they could be absolutely correct, even while the theory was true.
Like any other theory, we can test it using the scientific method to it. Take, for example, the hypothesis that social media companies are conspiring with those in the federal government to manipulate public perception. How could we build a test for that?
One way would be to get access to internal communications and documents from both the social media company and government agencies and look for collusion. Well, Elon Musk has run the test at Twitter, and all we have to do is analyze the results to see if our hypothesis is correct or needs to be modified.
The Constitution Study with Paul Engel on America Out Loud Talk Radio can be heard weekdays at 4 pm ET. Listen on iHeart Radio, our world-class media player, or our free apps on Apple, Android, or Alexa. Listen to other episodes of The Constitution Study, available on podcast.