My cab driver started talking about YouTube videos from his mates about a plot to kill off the population with a vaccine.

“This pandemic is so weird I think there’s something to it”

This is how a lot of people engage with viral conspiracy theories.

People are trying to make sense of what’s happening, spending lots of time online and feeling anxious and confused.

Those spreading harmful disinformation on social media continue to advantage of that!

A big concern as the possibility of a vaccine grows.

He also started talking about rich and powerful people trafficking and abusing children.

I went on to explain what QAnon is - he’d never heard of it, even though he had come across political disinformation plugged by its supporters online!

The best way of addressing his comments was asking questions.

Why would they do this? How would it be possible? Why were these claims only about people on one side of the political spectrum?

And he was very reasonable, reflecting that there were not answers that made sense.

But it’s another reminder that viral disinformation reaches lots of ordinary, reasonable people - and it sows seeds of doubts.

I come across examples of this time and time again.

It’s not just about those far down the rabbit hole who take to the streets.

The kernels of truth, distorted to evidence conspiracy theories or fuel political disinformation, explain why lots are taken in by these narratives.

These are no longer fringe ideas. They’re increasingly on the average social media feed offering easy/ emotive (false) answers!