The Conspiracy Chart

2020Infographic / exploitable templatesemi-active

Also known as: Conspiracy Theory Chart · Conspiracy Pyramid

The Conspiracy Chart is Abbie Richards' 2020 inverted-pyramid infographic ranking conspiracy theories from grounded reality to dangerous antisemitism that spawned an exploitable meme format.

The Conspiracy Chart is an inverted pyramid infographic that ranks conspiracy theories from grounded-in-reality events at the bottom to dangerous, antisemitism-rooted beliefs at the top. Created by Abbie Richards in October 2020, the chart went viral on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram before spawning an exploitable meme format in late 2021 where users replaced the conspiracy entries with jokes, fandom references, and absurdist humor.

conspiracy memesexploitable templatesmisinformation memesscience chart memes

Overview

The Conspiracy Chart arranges conspiracy theories in a color-coded inverted pyramid. At the base sit events that actually happened, like the Tuskegee Experiment and Big Tobacco's cover-ups2. Moving upward, the chart crosses a "speculation line" into territory where unanswered questions still exist, then past a "reality denial" line where believers start rejecting established science and medicine2. At the very top sits what Richards labeled the "antisemitic point of no return," populated by theories claiming a secret cabal of elites controls the world2.

The visual design made the concept immediately shareable. Rather than a wall of text debunking individual conspiracies, the pyramid format let viewers quickly locate where familiar theories landed on the spectrum. This simplicity drove its virality and made it ripe for parody, as users could easily swap in their own items while keeping the escalating structure intact3.

Abbie Richards, a Boston-based climate science researcher, created the original Conspiracy Chart in 2020. The idea came from an unlikely place: a Tinder conversation about conspiracies1. Richards found it ridiculous that no system existed to categorize the wildly different things all labeled "conspiracy theory," from documented government abuses to violent ideological movements1.

She made the chart for herself first, then shared it with friends who responded enthusiastically1. On October 3, 2020, Richards posted the first version to Twitter, where it picked up roughly 31,700 likes over the following year3. The chart also spread to platforms like Imgur in the days after3.

Richards had built an audience on TikTok through climate science content and, memorably, a page devoted to hating golf1. A previous viral moment in June 2020 had drawn her into studying online disinformation after she woke up to screenshots from a Nazi group chat attempting to dox her1. That experience pushed her to understand how people fall into extremist ideologies, which directly informed the chart's design1.

Origin & Background

Platform
TikTok (creator's audience), Twitter (viral spread)
Key People
Abbie Richards
Date
2020

Abbie Richards, a Boston-based climate science researcher, created the original Conspiracy Chart in 2020. The idea came from an unlikely place: a Tinder conversation about conspiracies. Richards found it ridiculous that no system existed to categorize the wildly different things all labeled "conspiracy theory," from documented government abuses to violent ideological movements.

She made the chart for herself first, then shared it with friends who responded enthusiastically. On October 3, 2020, Richards posted the first version to Twitter, where it picked up roughly 31,700 likes over the following year. The chart also spread to platforms like Imgur in the days after.

Richards had built an audience on TikTok through climate science content and, memorably, a page devoted to hating golf. A previous viral moment in June 2020 had drawn her into studying online disinformation after she woke up to screenshots from a Nazi group chat attempting to dox her. That experience pushed her to understand how people fall into extremist ideologies, which directly informed the chart's design.

How It Spread

The chart's real breakout came over a year after the original post. On November 22, 2021, Richards tweeted an updated version reflecting events that had occurred since the first, including the 2020 presidential election and the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. "When I made this chart initially, there hadn't even been an election yet, let alone an entire disinformation campaign that the election was stolen," Richards told the Boston Globe. The updated tweet pulled in roughly 73,200 likes in just seven days and was retweeted over 18,000 times.

Richards also posted the 2021 version to Instagram on November 23, where it received about 22,400 likes in six days. The chart jumped to mainstream media coverage, with outlets like the Boston Globe running explainers.

Within a day of the updated tweet, the chart became an exploitable format. On November 23, 2021, Instagram account @kaijushitposting posted what appears to be the first parody version, swapping conspiracy entries for jokes using caption editing. That same day, Twitter user @ComradeToguro created the first known Twitter parody, filling the pyramid with meme references. More users on both platforms made their own versions through the rest of November 2021, applying the format to everything from fandom drama to food opinions.

How to Use This Meme

The Conspiracy Chart works as an exploitable template where the pyramid structure and color-coded tiers stay intact but the entries get replaced. Creators typically:

1

Keep the inverted pyramid shape with its escalating tiers

2

Label the bottom tier with widely agreed-upon or harmless takes

3

Fill the middle tiers with increasingly niche, debatable, or absurd claims

4

Reserve the top tier for the most extreme or ridiculous positions

5

Optionally keep the dividing lines ("speculation line," "antisemitic point of no return") or rename them to fit the joke

Cultural Impact

Richards designed the chart with a specific goal: helping people understand that not all conspiracy theories carry the same weight. Someone questioning aspects of a historical event is in a fundamentally different place than someone who believes in a global shadowy cabal. The chart gave people a visual vocabulary for that distinction.

The Boston Globe highlighted how the chart arrived during a period of heightened isolation and fear, when people were more vulnerable to conspiracy thinking. Richards noted that social media algorithms feed misinformation to anxious users seeking simple answers: "When you feel uncertain about the world it's much easier to buy into a theory where there's like very black and white villains and heroes".

Richards also offered practical advice for talking to people who believe in charted conspiracies. She recommended approaching with empathy rather than calling believers stupid, and suggested casting doubt on specific aspects of their beliefs rather than arguing head-on. "You aren't going to out-logic a belief that's not based in logical conclusion," she said.

The chart's top tier, where theories cross into antisemitic territory, maps onto well-documented patterns in conspiracy culture. Theories about shadowy elites secretly controlling the world are "always rooted in antisemitism," Richards explained. This connects to a long history of such narratives, from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion to modern conspiracies targeting figures like George Soros.

Fun Facts

The chart was literally born from a Tinder conversation. Richards was chatting about conspiracies with a match and realized nobody had made a proper categorization system.

Richards was living in the Netherlands pursuing a master's in climate studies with "twenty Dutch roommates" when the chart blew up.

Her previous viral moment on TikTok was running a page entirely devoted to hating golf, which she stood by.

The 2021 version got more engagement on Twitter in a single night than the 2020 version did in an entire year.

When Richards was doxxed after her golf account went viral, police didn't know what doxxing was and told her it was "her fault for posting on the internet".

Derivatives & Variations

Fandom Conspiracy Charts:

Users filled the tiers with increasingly unhinged fan theories about specific media franchises, from mainstream takes at the bottom to deeply cursed headcanons at the top[3].

Food Opinion Pyramids:

Versions ranking food preferences from "normal" (pizza is good) to "concerning" (ketchup on steak) to "call the authorities"[3].

Meme Reference Versions:

@ComradeToguro's early parody replaced conspiracies with meme-world references, setting the template for ironic and absurdist versions[3].

Iceberg Tier Overlap:

The format shares DNA with Iceberg Tiers Parodies, another escalating knowledge/obscurity chart that was already popular before the Conspiracy Chart[3].

Frequently Asked Questions

The Conspiracy Chart

2020Infographic / exploitable templatesemi-active

Also known as: Conspiracy Theory Chart · Conspiracy Pyramid

The Conspiracy Chart is Abbie Richards' 2020 inverted-pyramid infographic ranking conspiracy theories from grounded reality to dangerous antisemitism that spawned an exploitable meme format.

The Conspiracy Chart is an inverted pyramid infographic that ranks conspiracy theories from grounded-in-reality events at the bottom to dangerous, antisemitism-rooted beliefs at the top. Created by Abbie Richards in October 2020, the chart went viral on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram before spawning an exploitable meme format in late 2021 where users replaced the conspiracy entries with jokes, fandom references, and absurdist humor.

conspiracy memes exploitable templates misinformation memes science chart memes

Overview

The Conspiracy Chart arranges conspiracy theories in a color-coded inverted pyramid. At the base sit events that actually happened, like the Tuskegee Experiment and Big Tobacco's cover-ups. Moving upward, the chart crosses a "speculation line" into territory where unanswered questions still exist, then past a "reality denial" line where believers start rejecting established science and medicine. At the very top sits what Richards labeled the "antisemitic point of no return," populated by theories claiming a secret cabal of elites controls the world.

The visual design made the concept immediately shareable. Rather than a wall of text debunking individual conspiracies, the pyramid format let viewers quickly locate where familiar theories landed on the spectrum. This simplicity drove its virality and made it ripe for parody, as users could easily swap in their own items while keeping the escalating structure intact.

Abbie Richards, a Boston-based climate science researcher, created the original Conspiracy Chart in 2020. The idea came from an unlikely place: a Tinder conversation about conspiracies. Richards found it ridiculous that no system existed to categorize the wildly different things all labeled "conspiracy theory," from documented government abuses to violent ideological movements.

She made the chart for herself first, then shared it with friends who responded enthusiastically. On October 3, 2020, Richards posted the first version to Twitter, where it picked up roughly 31,700 likes over the following year. The chart also spread to platforms like Imgur in the days after.

Richards had built an audience on TikTok through climate science content and, memorably, a page devoted to hating golf. A previous viral moment in June 2020 had drawn her into studying online disinformation after she woke up to screenshots from a Nazi group chat attempting to dox her. That experience pushed her to understand how people fall into extremist ideologies, which directly informed the chart's design.

Origin & Background

Platform
TikTok (creator's audience), Twitter (viral spread)
Key People
Abbie Richards
Date
2020

Abbie Richards, a Boston-based climate science researcher, created the original Conspiracy Chart in 2020. The idea came from an unlikely place: a Tinder conversation about conspiracies. Richards found it ridiculous that no system existed to categorize the wildly different things all labeled "conspiracy theory," from documented government abuses to violent ideological movements.

She made the chart for herself first, then shared it with friends who responded enthusiastically. On October 3, 2020, Richards posted the first version to Twitter, where it picked up roughly 31,700 likes over the following year. The chart also spread to platforms like Imgur in the days after.

Richards had built an audience on TikTok through climate science content and, memorably, a page devoted to hating golf. A previous viral moment in June 2020 had drawn her into studying online disinformation after she woke up to screenshots from a Nazi group chat attempting to dox her. That experience pushed her to understand how people fall into extremist ideologies, which directly informed the chart's design.

How It Spread

The chart's real breakout came over a year after the original post. On November 22, 2021, Richards tweeted an updated version reflecting events that had occurred since the first, including the 2020 presidential election and the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. "When I made this chart initially, there hadn't even been an election yet, let alone an entire disinformation campaign that the election was stolen," Richards told the Boston Globe. The updated tweet pulled in roughly 73,200 likes in just seven days and was retweeted over 18,000 times.

Richards also posted the 2021 version to Instagram on November 23, where it received about 22,400 likes in six days. The chart jumped to mainstream media coverage, with outlets like the Boston Globe running explainers.

Within a day of the updated tweet, the chart became an exploitable format. On November 23, 2021, Instagram account @kaijushitposting posted what appears to be the first parody version, swapping conspiracy entries for jokes using caption editing. That same day, Twitter user @ComradeToguro created the first known Twitter parody, filling the pyramid with meme references. More users on both platforms made their own versions through the rest of November 2021, applying the format to everything from fandom drama to food opinions.

How to Use This Meme

The Conspiracy Chart works as an exploitable template where the pyramid structure and color-coded tiers stay intact but the entries get replaced. Creators typically:

1

Keep the inverted pyramid shape with its escalating tiers

2

Label the bottom tier with widely agreed-upon or harmless takes

3

Fill the middle tiers with increasingly niche, debatable, or absurd claims

4

Reserve the top tier for the most extreme or ridiculous positions

5

Optionally keep the dividing lines ("speculation line," "antisemitic point of no return") or rename them to fit the joke

Cultural Impact

Richards designed the chart with a specific goal: helping people understand that not all conspiracy theories carry the same weight. Someone questioning aspects of a historical event is in a fundamentally different place than someone who believes in a global shadowy cabal. The chart gave people a visual vocabulary for that distinction.

The Boston Globe highlighted how the chart arrived during a period of heightened isolation and fear, when people were more vulnerable to conspiracy thinking. Richards noted that social media algorithms feed misinformation to anxious users seeking simple answers: "When you feel uncertain about the world it's much easier to buy into a theory where there's like very black and white villains and heroes".

Richards also offered practical advice for talking to people who believe in charted conspiracies. She recommended approaching with empathy rather than calling believers stupid, and suggested casting doubt on specific aspects of their beliefs rather than arguing head-on. "You aren't going to out-logic a belief that's not based in logical conclusion," she said.

The chart's top tier, where theories cross into antisemitic territory, maps onto well-documented patterns in conspiracy culture. Theories about shadowy elites secretly controlling the world are "always rooted in antisemitism," Richards explained. This connects to a long history of such narratives, from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion to modern conspiracies targeting figures like George Soros.

Fun Facts

The chart was literally born from a Tinder conversation. Richards was chatting about conspiracies with a match and realized nobody had made a proper categorization system.

Richards was living in the Netherlands pursuing a master's in climate studies with "twenty Dutch roommates" when the chart blew up.

Her previous viral moment on TikTok was running a page entirely devoted to hating golf, which she stood by.

The 2021 version got more engagement on Twitter in a single night than the 2020 version did in an entire year.

When Richards was doxxed after her golf account went viral, police didn't know what doxxing was and told her it was "her fault for posting on the internet".

Derivatives & Variations

Fandom Conspiracy Charts:

Users filled the tiers with increasingly unhinged fan theories about specific media franchises, from mainstream takes at the bottom to deeply cursed headcanons at the top[3].

Food Opinion Pyramids:

Versions ranking food preferences from "normal" (pizza is good) to "concerning" (ketchup on steak) to "call the authorities"[3].

Meme Reference Versions:

@ComradeToguro's early parody replaced conspiracies with meme-world references, setting the template for ironic and absurdist versions[3].

Iceberg Tier Overlap:

The format shares DNA with Iceberg Tiers Parodies, another escalating knowledge/obscurity chart that was already popular before the Conspiracy Chart[3].

Frequently Asked Questions