Articles by Courtney Blackington

December 16, 2024

Populism’s dual use of conspiracy theories

Courtney Blackington

Courtney Blackington and Frances Cayton argue that populist politicians tend to dog-whistle conspiracy theories when speaking to general audiences, but explicitly endorse them when speaking to supporters. Thus, politicians strategically invoke conspiracy theories to avoid blowback, while still managing to rally their core supporter base

Why do some conspiracy theories stay popular on social media?

Courtney Blackington

Not all conspiracy theories that spread on social media remain popular over time. Courtney Blackington and Frances Cayton argue that conspiracy theories which map onto salient cleavages are more likely to persist and spread online. They find that elites who endorse conspiracy theories do not always attract engagement unless an event occurs that makes those conspiracy theories salient

Courtney Blackington

Teaching Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Courtney's research focuses on protest, conspiracy theories and democratic backsliding.

Her work has been published in Perspectives on Politics, East European Politics, East European Politics and Societies, and The Monkey Cage.

It has been supported by the US Department of State, American Councils, the European Union, the BEAR Network, UNC, and the University of Pittsburgh.

She spent the 2021–2022 academic year as a Fulbright and Title VIII Scholar at the Polish Academy of Sciences and the University of Warsaw.

Courtney also holds a BA in Government from the College of William and Mary as well as a MA in Political Science from Columbia University.

cblackington.com

@Blackington_C

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