On Reddit, some “Game of Thrones” fans subscribe to a tortuous theory that a group of old, scholarly men — the maesters — are part of a sprawling and hidden conspiracy to exert control over the show’s mythical kingdom. They write thousands of words to each other proving that every obscure clue adds up to a big picture that only they can see.
Just a few clicks away, other Reddit users are sure that a secretive group — the Illuminati — is part of a sprawling and hidden conspiracy to control the real world. They do exactly the same thing.
There are some clear parallels between fan conspiracy theories and political conspiracy theories. They were once confined to the far corners of American culture, but in recent years have flourished thanks in part to internet message boards and social media, which offer anyone the opportunity to publish, debunk, rebunk and remix their own imaginary concepts and share them with like-minded theorists.