ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN SPREADING CONSPIRACY THEORIES

The development of human civilization is currently - in the middle of the third decade of the third millennium - highly dynamic, inextricably linked to the development and introduction of new, modern technologies in all spheres or sectors of society. Information and communication technology is one of the most dynamically developing sectors. The wide use of various advanced systems, tools, and smart devices in connection with the mass use of the Internet and a wide range of interactive social media platforms brings a new way of communication among people and searching, receiving, and spreading information. Such developments bring many positives but also negatives in the form of abuse - especially of social media - to spread misleading, altered, distorted, deceptive and/or invented information, for example, in the form of different conspiracy theories to influence people's thinking and actions. Some conspiracy theories can be just harmless fun or an expression of a certain disbelief or scepticism. However, some can be very dangerous; they can be part of hybrid threats spread by state and/or non-state actors to disrupt the functioning of democratic societies, undermining trust in democratic institutions, principles, rules, etc. That is why today, conspiracy theories represent a threat and a challenge to society, especially democratic society, and that is also why the authors of this paper deal with them as part of the interdisciplinary scientific research carried out.