Human responsibility in the digital sphere: A Christian ethical analysis of virtual conspiracy narratives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/pch.16110Słowa kluczowe:
conspiracy narratives, digital communication, responsibility, social cohesion, stewardship, Christian ethicsAbstrakt
This article offers a conceptual analysis of virtual conspiracy narratives concerning allegedly ‘bad’ world-governance practices and examines their ethical implications for social perception, moral responsibility, and the formation of civic attitudes. Drawing on the anthropological and ethical implications of Genesis 1:26, it interprets human responsibility as a form of stewardship that necessarily encompasses conduct in digital environments. Conspiracy narratives concerning globalisation, democracy, transnational institutions, artificial intelligence, and ecclesial authority circulate widely on social media and frequently distort moral understandings of governance and communal life. Informed by Christian ethics, the analysis treats these narratives as phenomena that raise significant questions about trust, social cohesion, and responsible public engagement. It further identifies key tasks for religious and educational institutions: cultivating critical thinking, epistemic responsibility, and truthful communication in order to strengthen communal resilience to digital misinformation and safeguard human dignity.
Bibliografia
Beem, Marek. 2007. Moje krédo: Čo, komu a prečo verím [My Credo: What, Whom and Why I Believe]. Krupina: Náklad autora.
Berger, Jonah. 2013. Contagious: Why Things Catch On. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Brashier, Nadia M., and Daniel L. Schacter. 2020. “Aging in an Era of Fake News.” Current Directions in Psychological Science 29 (3): 316–323. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420915872
Butter, Michael, and Peter Knight. 2015. “Combler le fossé: L’avenir des recherches sur les théories du complot.” Diogène 249–250: 21–39.
Flannagan, S., and William Fischer. 2024. “The Weirdest Bible Conspiracy Theories.” Grunge, April 24, 2024. https://www.grunge.com/651903/the-weirdest-bible-conspiracy-theories/.
Guardini, Romano. 2001. Sloboda a zodpovednosť [Freedom and Responsibility]. Trnava: Dobrá kniha.
Institute for Strategic Dialogue. 2022. “The ‘New World Order.’” September 20, 2022. https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-explainer/the-new-world-order/.
John Paul II. 2001. “Message of the Holy Father John Paul II for the 35th World Communications Day: ‘Preach from the Housetops: The Gospel in the Age of Global Communication.’” The Holy See, January 24, 2001. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/messages/communications/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_20010124_world-communications-day.html.
John Paul II. 1997. “Message of the Holy Father John Paul II for the 31st World Communications Day: Communicating Jesus: The Way, the Truth and the Life.” The Holy See, January 24, 1997. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/messages/communications/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_24011997_world-communications-day.html.
Katolícka cirkev na Slovensku. 1997. “Dokumenty pápežov: Encyklika pápeža Jána Pavla II. Centesimus Annus” [Documents of the Popes: Encyclical of Pope John Paul II Centesimus Annus]. KBS, vydal SSV, 1997. https://www.kbs.sk/obsah/sekcia/h/dokumenty-a-vyhlasenia/p/dokumenty-papezov/c/centesimus-annus.
Khan, Tanveer, Antonis Michalas, and Adnan Akhunzada. 2021. “Fake News Outbreak 2021: Can We Stop the Viral Spread?” Journal of Network and Computer Applications 190: 103112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnca.2021.103112
Kim, Sang Jung, and Kaiping Chen. 2022. “The Use of Emotions in Conspiracy and Debunking Videos to Engage Publics on YouTube.” New Media & Society 26 (7): 3854–3875. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221105877
Levy, Neil. 2017. “The Bad News about Fake News.” Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective 6 (8): 20–36.
Lévy, Pierre. 1998. “The Virtual: Philosophy and the New Technologies.” Columbia International Affairs Online. https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/isa/lev01/lev01.html
Maturkanič, Patrik, Diana Jiřišťová, Jan Gruber, Marian Šuráb, and Peter Majda. 2023. “’North Bohemian’ God — Does He Speak or Remain Silent? A Pastoral-Theological Reflection on the Phenomena of the ‘Absent’ God in the Litomerice Diocese and Its Psycho-Social Dimension.” Acta Missiologica 17 (1): 59–72. https://www.actamissiologica.com/sub/am1_2023.pdf
Miljanić, Duško. 2021. “A Secret Group of Powerful People Control the World — 61% of Montenegrin Citizens Believe This.” UNICEF Montenegro. August 20, 2021. https://www.unicef.org/montenegro/en/stories/secret-group-powerful-people-control-world-%E2%80%92-61-montenegrin-citizens-believe
Nahon, Karine, and Jeff Hemsley. 2013. “Going Viral.” International Journal of Communication 7: 143–169.
Paľa, Gabriel, and Marek Petro. 2010. Médiá v kontexte dokumentov Katolíckej cirkvi [Media in the Context of Documents of the Catholic Church]. Prešov: Gréckokatolícka teologická fakulta.
Panczová, Zuzana. 2016. Apokalyptické vízie konšpiračných teórií na slovenských antisystémových webových stránkach [Apocalyptic Visions of Conspiracy Theories on Slovak Anti-system Websites]. Bratislava: Ústav etnológie SAV.
Panczová, Zuzana. 2017. Konšpiračné teórie: Témy, historické kontexty a argumentačné stratégie [Conspiracy Theories: Themes, Historical Contexts, and Argumentative Strategies]. Bratislava: Veda.
Pocheptsov, Georgii G. 2019. (Дез)информация [(Dis)information]. Kyiv: Palivoda.
Rabenda-Nowak, Aleksandra, and Kamila Wylęgły. 2022. “Causes and Consequences of Postponing the Decision to Marry in the Opinion of Young Adults.” Journal of Education Culture and Society 13 (2): 171–184. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2022.2.171.184
Rheingold, Howard. 1991. Virtual Reality. London: Simon & Schuster.
Ritenbaugh, John W. 2014. “Commentary: Conspiracy Theory (Part Two).” Church of the Great God. Podcast audio, 14 min. November 22, 2014. https://www.biblicaljesus.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/audio.details/id/3550/Conspiracy-Theory-Part-Two.htm.
Serrano-Puche, Javier. 2021. “Digital Disinformation and Emotions: Exploring the Social Risks of Affective Polarization.” International Review of Sociology 31 (2): 231–245. https://doi.org/10.1080/03906701.2021.1947953
Shankar, Shardul, and Vijayshri Tewari. 2021. “Understanding the Emotional Intelligence Discourse on Social Media: Insights from the Analysis of Twitter.” Journal of Intelligence 9 (4): 56. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence9040056
Sieg, Christian. n.d. “Conspiracy Theories as Narratives.” University of Münster. Accessed September 22, 2024. https://www.uni-muenster.de/Religion-und-Politik/en/aktuelles/schwerpunkte/epidemien/05_thema_verschwoerung.shtml
Stacy, Jared. n.d. “The Theological Paranoia Driving Conspiracy Theory among Christians.” Accessed September 22, 2024. https://www.seenandunseen.com/theological-paranoia-driving-conspiracy-theory-among-christians
Thesaurus.com. n.d. “Synonyms and Antonyms of ‘Conspiracy.’” Accessed September 22, 2024. https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/conspiracy
Tóthová, Lucia, and Dušan Šlosár. 2018. Prejavy radikalizmu a extrémizmu v sociálnych vzťahoch [Manifestations of Radicalism and Extremism in Social Relations]. Košice: Univerzita Pavla Jozefa Šafárika v Košiciach.
Tuten, Tracy L., and Michael R. Solomon. 2015. Social Media Marketing. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
Willing, Steven. 2021. “Christians and Conspiracy Theories.” https://cmda.org/christians-and-conspiracy-theories/
Pobrania
Opublikowane
Numer
Dział
Licencja
Prawa autorskie (c) 2026 Hedviga Tkácová

Utwór dostępny jest na licencji Creative Commons Uznanie autorstwa 4.0 Międzynarodowe.
Autorzy publikujący w czasopiśmie udzielają jego wydawcy zgody o następującej treści:
- Autor zachowuje autorskie prawa majątkowe do utworu, a jednocześnie udziela wydawcy czasopisma zgody na jego pierwszą publikację w wersji drukowanej i wersji online na licencji Creative Commons Uznanie autorstwa 4.0 Międzynarodowe oraz zgody na wykonywanie opracowań, w tym przekładów.
- Autor ma możliwość udzielania zgody niewyłącznej na opublikowanie utworu w wersji, która ukazała się w czasopiśmie (np. zamieszczenia go w repozytorium instytucjonalnym lub opublikowania w książce), wraz z informacją o jego pierwszej publikacji w czasopiśmie.