An interesting thing about conspiracy theories is that they functionally serve to direct attention away from obvious, straightforward, and plausible truths — which even if unintentional, kind of makes them… the ultimate conspiracy.
I see this play out in the Signal conspiracy theories that come up every week. Although honestly, sometimes the most disappointing thing is how unimaginative they are.
Can’t I at least be a reptilian lizard person, or something a little more creative than an unlikely CIA agent?
The story got a lot of traction on lobste.rs and other social media as well.