2025 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Language Use and Stylization in Conspiracy Theory Studies

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-15-2025

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Aiden VanderStouwe

Abstract

This research examines the use of language and linguistic stylization in a university classroom setting around the concepts of conspiracy theory, misinformation, and the spread of these ideas in a rapidly digitized world. Students are engaging in a social world where misinformation and disinformation is at an all time high, and they are learning to navigate this new change. Previous studies on conspiracy often look into the psychology of them, not the actual language use. Through recorded interactions, field notes, interviews, and the analysis of real time discourse, this research aims to examine how students and their grapple with facts and knowledge in real time. Beliefs and viewpoints often change or shift with the presentation of new information, this study also highlights how language use may change with beliefs and skepticism, enhancing classroom discourse through reinforcement or rejection of certain ideas. Furthermore, the academic understanding of these concepts utilizes certain jargon that students must become aware of and use in their own discussions and reflections. By looking into these discussions this research contributes to ideas about critical thinking, media literacy, student and professor interaction, and education in the role of navigating the truths and mysteries of the world.

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