MH370: Are conspiracy theories such a bad thing?

And even with the discovery of the plane’s wreckage and black box, some of us may never accept its findings.

The announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that concluded flight MH370 ended in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, came on the 17th day after the plane disappeared on March 8 en-route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

By then, rampant speculations and wild theories have cropped up, and even until today, some are still questioning, some clinging on to hope – that the plane and its 239 souls may have met a different fate and had not plunged into the remote, deep waters of the Indian Ocean.

Conspiracy theories abound, many choose to believe that the government is hiding something from us.

Some suggest that the plane was hijacked, landed at an obscure strip and is to be used as a weapon later on. Others say there was an orchestrated attempt by an Illuminati member to gain rights to a semiconductor patent. There’s also talk of the US Navy diverting the plane to its Diego Garcia secret facility due to a highly suspicious cargo load. The Bermuda Triangle, black hole and aliens could potentially be responsible too, they say.

Many of these extreme, peculiar and sometimes paranormal beliefs do not have scientific basis and add on the grief of family members clinging to any possible leads, even if they are mere speculations.

However, research suggests that conspiracy theories do actually serve a function – as a mechanism to help people cope and make sense out of distressing events.

“In the case of flight MH370, it is a very difficult thing to understand that a plane can just disappear. Conspiracy theories give people an explanation when they need one.

"I wouldn’t view that conspiracy theories are always negative. It fulfils a function in a society. It may not be a good function, it may not be helpful but it is a rational response to very difficult phenomena,’ said Dr Viren Swami, a leading expert in the psychology of conspiracy theories from the University of Westminster.

In a telephone interview with Astro AWANI, Swami explained that it was human nature to seek for answers and to make sense of what is unknown and incomprehensible.

“You might not believe in the conspiracy theories but for many people, it provides a simple explanation for something that is difficult to understand. It allows them to feel better about themselves. And by doing so, it gives them a voice. It gives them a sense of power,” he said.

The proliferating theories on the ‘mysterious’ disappearance of flight MH370 has also been compounded by seemingly contradictory information released by the authorities and sometimes unverified, speculative reports from the media.

In response to queries on rampant speculations, acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has had to spend a bulk of the daily press conferences to address rumors, speculations and unverified reports.

But when not a single piece of wreckage has been found, coupled with the lack of conclusive data even on the final whereabouts of the plane, these, inevitably, fuel theories of a cover-up.

According to Nicholas DiFonzo, a rumor research expert at Rochester Institute of Technology, people who have become distrustful towards information channels and authorities will strive to fit the evidence to their own internal theories.

“Keeping the public and the families informed is critical in preventing and managing unwarranted speculation. However, this event is truly puzzling—even without any mishaps by the authorities; it still doesn’t seem to make sense. Therefore I’m not sure that a better response by the authorities may have helped all that much.”

The media, internet and its insatiable appetite for information posed a difficult challenge to authorities in managing a crisis of this sort.

“The news media’s (understandable) 24-hour attention to this story makes the task more challenging, because it feeds on people’s desire to solve puzzles. Many are literally obsessed with this mystery, and the obsession is essentially fed by media, and intensified by the interactive nature of the Internet,’ said DiFonzo.

Social media websites, according to Swami, is the most conducive environment that thrives on and breeds speculations.

“Social media does that very well. It presents you with a version of a conspiracy theory without any kind of rebuttal - no contrary evidence, no critical analysis. When you present information that is critical to the theory, it reduces conspiracy ideation.”

“An online network is sympathetic to conspiracy theories and that functions as an ‘echo-chamber’. Repeatedly hearing these ideas from sources that one trusts, and being part of a network where these sorts of beliefs are widely circulated, can lead to one believing in these theories,” added DiFonzo.

So, is everyone susceptible to believing and propagating conspiracy theories, even the most rational of the lot? The answer is yes, according to Swami, albeit differently according to context as well as the personality and psychological construct of the individual.

“People who are more prone to believe in conspiracies are people with lower self esteem, who feel more powerless and those who feel that they haven’t got a voice.