Shapeshifters and Starseeds: Populist Knowledge Production, Generous Epistemology, and Disinformation on U.S. Conspiracy TikTok

Abstract

This article investigates the intersection of identity, power, and knowledge production on U.S. ConspiracyTok, a genre of TikTok videos promoting conspiracy theories ranging from harmless speculation to harmful disinformation. Drawing on qualitative content analysis of 202 highly viewed videos, we examine how identity markers such as race and gender shape who is empowered or undermined in conspiratorial narratives, and how creators construct and circulate “evidence” to support their claims. We find that American ConspiracyTok is populated largely by young, non-White, and/or female creators who challenge the stereotype of the White, male conspiracy theorist. These creators interpellate audiences through visible identity markers, fostering a sense of intimacy and trust. Marginalized groups are often cast as victims, while institutions like science, government, and media are portrayed as villains. Creators construct legitimacy through visual media, personal anecdotes, deep lore, and remixing fictional and mainstream texts—engaging in a form of populist knowledge production within a generous epistemology that welcomes divergent truths and alternative worldviews. These practices blur the lines between entertainment and ideology, often mimicking academic, or journalistic knowledge production while rejecting institutional authority. While ConspiracyTok can serve as a form of standpoint epistemology that empowers minoritized creators and critiques systemic injustice, it can just as easily reinforce bias and spread disinformation. ConspiracyTok is a site of vernacular theorizing where epistemology and identity are deeply entangled, offering both a critique of mainstream power and a cautionary tale about the populist appeal of conspiratorial thinking.