In Australia, our conspiracy theories have something to say about our national character, our mythos and our anxieties, from colonisation to our national conceptions of fairness and freedom.
'Vaccines kill kids'; '5G spreads Covid-19'; 'the Australian government is conspiring to create a new world order' - it's easy to dismiss these as fringe concerns, or imported concepts, but increasingly ideas like these are gaining traction with everyday Australians and influencing our society in far reaching ways. From the backlash to Safe Schools, to algorithms that proliferate the messages of anti-vaxx 'wellness' influencers in turn leading to falling rates of childhood vaccination and the return of devastating, previously all-but-eradicated diseases, to the Christchurch mosque shooting, which was carried out by an Australian, Wilson and Bogle show the devastating consequences of unchecked misinformation and radicalisation, and make a compelling case that by ignoring or diminishing the growing threat of conspiratorial thinking, we invite a fracturing of civil society.
?Conspiracy Nation takes readers to rallies, homes, courtrooms, ballrooms, $2000 Byron Bay luxury retreats, secret group chats, homeschools, micronations and farms to provide an on-the-ground account of Australia's conspiracy theories and the people who believe them.
