In following diploma thesis I try to answer why the rise of conspiracy theories was so strong during the COVID-19 pandemic. By identifying what conspiracy theories are, how they have evolved, in what circumstances they most often arise, who are the people who spread them, and why, I will try to outline the general circumstances that are conducive to the emergence of conspiracy theories. By reviewing what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic itself, which engulfed us in 2020, I will gain a deeper insight into the circumstances in which we as a society found ourselves at that time, and what hardships, discomforts and fears we faced as individuals and as a (global) community. I will furthermore touch upon the role of science and the media in this situation and their information and consequent impact on people's behaviour and their (non-)compliance with measures to contain the corona virus. I will also address an important contemporary topic - the role of the internet and social networks on the impact of an individual's susceptibility to (mis)information and its rapid spread via the web.
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