I love this. YES. I would humbly add one thing: Conspiracy thinking is comforting to some people as it gives them a sense of control. "Oh, I know what's going on... mmhmm." Especially during turbluent times, it's a sense of order. It also shorcuts complex causation; conspiracy theories are neat and simple (part of how they defy logic). And studies show that once a person believes one conspiracy theory, they're likely to believe more, and so on. It becomes its own rabbit hole. Awesome article. (Okay that was three things lol)

Update: I was reading so enthusiastically, I see now where you've written "They're trying to exercise some control over their lives." Well done!