Hi, Steve Patterson here, host of the debaters, the show where Canada's top comedians answer

Canada's top questions like, is Winnipeg the best place to raise a family?

We're expecting to raise a little heck with this one, so don't miss it wherever you get your

podcasts.

This is a CBC podcast.

Why? ABC Podcast. Welcome to your bonus episode.

I'm Sarah Marshall, and this is The Devil You Know.

Today, we're talking to Yvonne Eden,

assistant professor at the University of Kentucky School of Information Science,

whose research focuses on knowledge production within fringe conspiratorial research cultures.

These cultures include UFO followers and JFK assassination investigators,

and, for our purposes today, Taylor Swift and One Direction conspiracy theorists.

This conversation with Yvonne Eden was a chance to look at conspiracy culture and what

conspiracy theories and conspiracy culture can offer in a way that may actually be harmless

or even constructive, especially to the lonely queer teenagers who are being isolated

partly by the conspiracy theories about them. Things are getting a little bit heavy in our show

and this conversation is beautiful and light and joyful and is talking about people in a

fandom who are finding joy for themselves

and building it for each other. It is also worth noting that Yvonne and I had this conversation

before Taylor Swift announced her engagement to Travis Kelsey. But if there's one thing

history has shown us, it's that conspiracy theories will somehow find a way

to explain away even the information that would seem to disprove them.

...