Neville-Shepard to Present Honors College Lecture on Conspiracy Theory

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Conspiracy culture permeates everyday life, impacting health decisions, political participation, public policy and so much more.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Conspiracy culture stretches back to the birth of our nation, but it was once limited to the fringes of society. Today, it permeates everyday life, impacting public trust in the COVID-19 vaccine and interrupting the orderly transfer of power in the U.S. government.

Ryan Neville-Shepard, assistant professor of communication, will examine where conspiracy theories come from, who believes them, how they spread and how societies respond, in a public lecture “Conspiracy Theory,” which will be offered online via Zoom at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16.

Please fill out this online interest form to gain access to the lecture.

“Conspiracy theories are not only landing in a fertile climate, they’re pushed by conspiracy entrepreneurs, people who are spreading misinformation because they profit from it,” said Neville-Shepard. “Conspiracy culture is so rampant now that anybody can find themselves targeted by a future conspiracy narrative.”

The lecture will preview the Fall 2021 Honors College Signature Seminar, Conspiracy Theory.

mass media’s impact

From the Revolutionary War to the era of McCarthyism, Americans were spinning populist counter-narratives about evil doers working through secret societies  to undermine the interests of “common” people. 

By the turn of the 21st century, however, a feeling emerged that conspiracy culture was becoming increasingly mainstream, especially with the popularity of the John F. Kennedy assassination theories, the 9/11 truthers, the birther movement around Barack Obama and, most recently, the widespread misinformation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. 

“To understand modern conspiracy culture, we have to understand the growth of media,” Neville-Shepard said.  

Neville-Shepard cites television, early internet culture and modern internet culture like social media — which allows people to connect anonymously and say things for which they might not be held accountable — as important temporal markers in conspiracy culture. 

The last of these paints an especially dire picture, according to Neville-Shephard. “What we don’t have anymore [are] gatekeepers, and we have immediate access to all the information that we want,” he said. “We can pick and choose what we want to hear. So if I’m listening to podcasts, for instance, I can go down the rabbit hole and only choose conspiratorial podcasts. I can maybe decide that I don’t want to watch mainstream news anymore. And I can get my news from very fringe sources on YouTube. It’s a lot easier for people to access communities and to find their people and to spread that kind of misinformation.” 

Neville-Shepard said the current political climate is a fertile ground for conspiracies, which often “come at a time of major political polarization— especially when one party loses a lot of power and another party comes into power.”

“Typically, you’ll see conspiracy theories peak at that moment,” he explained.

why it matters

Conspiracy theories can be dangerous and must be taken seriously, Neville-Shepard said.

Not only do they “prey on people who are not media literate,” but they also prey on the “politically polarized,” those who want to believe in conspiracies because they might dislike the people depicted in them.

Neville-Shepard cited Alex Jones of Infowars, a “conspiracy entrepreneur” who profited from the spread of conspiracy theories, as a notorious example of the sort of people who may take advantage of political polarization.

“It’s why conspiracy theories are dangerous,” he explained. “They are forms of misinformation that people are creating, often to make a profit. And at first, it seems like it’s just sort of funny. But it has, as we’ve seen with the insurrection of the Capitol, dangerous ramifications.”

Ryan Neville-Shepard joined the Department of Communication at the University of Arkansas in 2016 and has taught courses in rhetorical theory and criticism, argumentation, political communication and free speech.

His research analyzes the ways that presidential rhetoric shapes public discourse, though he specializes in the ways that political outsiders gain influence in the political system.

Neville-Shepard’s published scholarship appears in journals such as American Behavioral Scientist, Critical Studies in Media Communication, Argumentation and Advocacy, Communication Quarterly, Southern Communication Journal, and Western Journal of Communication.

In recent years he has been named the recipient of the Judith S. Trent Award for Early Career Excellence in Political Communication, the Eastern Communication Association Article of the Year Award, and the Aubrey Fisher Outstanding Article Award from the Western States Communication Association.

Signature SEminars Explore Diverse Topics

Conspiracy Theory is one of three Honors College Signature Seminars scheduled for Fall 2021. Other topics will include:

• Black Utopias, to be taught by Caree Banton, an associate professor of African diaspora history and director of the African and African American Studies Program.

• Sustainable Cities, to be taught by Noah Billig, associate professor of landscape architecture and planning.

Deans of each college may nominate professors to participate in this program, and those who are selected to teach will become Dean’s Fellows in the Honors College.

Honors students must apply to participate, and those selected will be designated Dean’s Signature Scholars. The course application is posted online in the Honors Student Hub. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 31.

About the Honors College: The University of Arkansas Honors College was established in 2002 and brings together high-achieving undergraduate students and the university’s top professors to share transformative learning experiences. Each year the Honors College awards up to 90 freshman fellowships that provide $72,000 over four years, and more than $1 million in undergraduate research and study abroad grants. The Honors College is nationally recognized for the high caliber of students it admits and graduates. Honors students enjoy small, in-depth classes, and programs are offered in all disciplines, tailored to students’ academic interests, with interdisciplinary collaborations encouraged. Fifty percent of Honors College graduates have studied abroad and 100 percent of them have engaged in mentored research.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economythrough the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.