I believe the escalating rise of conspiracy theories is actually due to the widespread authoritarianism our culture is subjected to since infancy. The more authoritarian our institutions of power and information become, the more outlandish opposing ideas people will believe.
Our systems of education do not teach us critical thinking, but rather tell us what to think. Just listen to the experts. Forever appeal to authority. This is what we are told day in and day out from childhood through adulthood. We are conditioned to simply accept what we are being fed.
So, when the narratives of our ruling authorities start cracking in places (corruption and lies exposed) and/or those narratives no longer serve us in practical ways, the most natural thing to do is to begin to question not just the narratives, but the very authority of those feeding us these narratives. After all, they've proven themselves to be deceiving liars in many areas. Why trust anything they say?
This questioning can lead one to critical thinking, to finally think for oneself rather than simply accept whatever is presented. But we are so conditioned to appeal to authority, that oftentimes what happens is that when we remove our trust from the prevailing authority, we merely search for an alternative authority to take its place.
When the mainstream narratives that have informed our understanding of life begin to collapse, our need for meaning still remains, as well as our conditioning to seek external authority. Anything that sounds remotely mainstream will be disregarded by the disillusioned ones, and so all that is left are extreme narratives and wild theories. Whoever is most vocal and confident about such theories becomes the new authority and begins to amass a new following of "woke" individuals who are still acting just like the sheep they were conditioned to be.
How can we be surprised and bewildered that people will blindly follow and support individuals such as Alex Jones or even Donald Trump? We have been conditioned to blindly follow authority. People like Jones and Trump speak with a commanding air of authority and offer meaning to those who have been harmed and disillusioned by the prevailing problematic narratives. Those in power actually created this mess.
All of this is a direct result of the authoritarianism of our power structures. The more the ruling powers double down on their sanctioned narratives and attempt to silence and censor all other narratives ("misinformation"), the more it feeds the wild conspiracy theories. It just adds fuel to the fire. The more you use force, whether physical or psychological, against others, the more resistance you will eventually meet. Those you attempt to suppress will look for, and find, a new leader/authority to defeat you. Revolution will always eventually take place.
Authoritarianism just breeds more authoritarianism. It breeds more sheep and more wolves to lead them astray.