Essay Sample on Conspiracy Theories

One in three Americans believe that COVID-19 was made in a lab. One in four Americans also believe that COVID was engineered intentionally. There are many more conspiracy theories similar to these. Some of them can be dangerous. Some examples include the Wuhan Lab theory and the 5G theory.

The Wuhan Lab theory is harmful because it spreads misinformation. Early in the pandemic, conservative publications began to link the outbreak to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. However, scientists agree that SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – wasn’t engineered. If it WAS purposefully made, there would be evidence of its original code in the DNA and evidence of additions or deletions. There’s no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. There are other types of COVID there, but SARS-CoV-2 isn’t one of them. The theory stuck because it had the backing of Donald Trump and other conservatives. The theory supposedly served as a distraction from the American Government’s failure to respond well to the COVID pandemic.

Another instance of a harmful theory is the 5G theory. This theory can be bad because if people stop believing that COVID-19 is a real virus, they will stop listening to government and scientific authorities who are trying to curb the pandemic. They might also stop social distancing, quarantining, and wearing masks. In England, people have gone as far as to set fire to cell phone towers. This is likely because of the 5G theory. The cell phone outages might affect the work of health services and the police. It’s also not helping that some celebrities have been sharing 5G conspiracy narratives. These types of fears aren’t new. There have been similar theories about 4G, 3G, WIFI, and cell phone towers. Some people claim they suffer from a syndrome called Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome, which they supposedly got from exposure to electromagnetic fields. The reason why there are conspiracy theories about 5G and other types of radiofrequency communications is because they involve radiation. However, only the upper part of the electromagnetic spectrum with the shortest-wavelength frequencies are ionizing, which means that only they can damage DNA.

The more people believe in the Wuhan Theory, the 5G theory, or any other type of theory, the more the world will be impacted. More people will spread misinformation. More people will stop listening to government authorities. They might also start protesting and rioting more. Theories like the ones listed above can be dangerous because of those reasons. 

In conclusion, conspiracy theories can be dangerous. Theories like the Wuhan Lab theory and the 5G theory can spread misinformation and can lead people to stop listening to scientific and government authorities. There are many more similar theories, and all of them can negatively impact the world.