Despite years of content moderation campaigns, conspiracy theories still remain lucrative as of 2025. Whether it is the flat Earth theories, political hoaxes, or vaccine denials, these narratives dominate engagement on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.
Conspiracy influencers often monetize their reach using ad revenue, book sales, affiliate links, and paid subscriptions. According to a recent report, QAnon content continues to circulate despite platform bans, with creators moving to some of the lesser-regulated networks and building loyal, paying followings.
Meanwhile, the viral nature of conspiracy content which is often based on mystery, fear, or anti-establishment sentiment, makes it more algorithmically favored. Researchers from the Harvard Kennedy School warn that “disinformation entrepreneurs” have optimized this business model, thereby creating an entire ecosystems of echo chambers.
Podcasts and streaming channels have also capitalized on these theories, attracting advertisers who are willing to bypass mainstream scrutiny. Although some platforms have tightened their policies, the enforcement of these policies themselves remain deficient. The problem is not just ideological, it is also economic.
Fake news thrives because it earns a lot of money, builds communities, and offers an emotional hook. Until content moderation becomes consistently enforced across all platforms across the world, conspiracy economies will continue to grow, and feed on distrust, polarization, and algorithmic amplification.
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