Exploring the top 7 Everyday Conspiracy Theories … so far

New podcast Everyday Conspiracy Theories (and the emphasis here is on the word everyday) might be only seven episodes old, but already theories are pouring in from all around the world.

“Our listeners are getting it,” says co-host Sean Craig Murphy.

“We don’t touch heavy-duty conspiracies like COVID-19 and flat earth. Our Everyday Conspiracy Theories are about those curious little mysteries we all encounter in our daily lives. We know it resonates because we’ve received so many fan theories.”

“These 7 might get you questioning everything you thought you knew!”

#7 – Starbucks
Are Starbucks employees deliberately misspelling our names? We’ve all seen a social media post of a friend’s coffee cup emblazoned with a shonky variation of their name — like our friend Dannielle, whose name somehow malformed into Danny-Elle — only to laugh it off as an innocent miscommunication. But what if it’s a calculated viral branding strategy?

#6 – Facebook Marketplace
If you’re a major retailer, how do you stop bargain hunters from fleeing to sites like Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree? Co-host Mena Soliman suggests that the big stores could be planting “covert agents” to act as scammers, ultimately scaring us back to their sites.

#5 – Organic Bananas
That red wax on the tip of bananas signifies they’re organic, right? Not if you are an Everyday Conspiracy Theorist! Jarryd, a fan of the show, suggests the wax is a literal cover up. That is to say, he thinks the wax is there to mend splits in the ends of regular, though slightly damaged, bananas.

#4 – T Shirt Eye Charts
Ever noticed how many fashion labels use names made up of non-sequential letters? LSKD, ORTC, KSCY, AJE. Why, you’d almost think you were reading an eye chart. Wouldn’t that be a nice little earner for the optometry industry … using t-shirts to coerce us into frequent eye exams?

#3 – Dad Jokes
Why are so-called ‘dad jokes’ always met with a groan? Instead of being celebrated as an insightful, well-crafted turn of phrase, men must wear the ‘dad joke’ mark of shame. What movement is at work thwarting and diminishing these underappreciated skills? Sean Craig Murphy isn’t entirely sure, but he does point out that “nobody has ever heard of a MUM joke!”

#2 -Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift commands loyal audiences all over the world. They’d fly just about anywhere to see her and do just about anything she asked of them. So, what if … these friendship bracelets she’s popularised are actually devious little tracking devices? Genius if they are!

#1- Scrawny Prawnies
Ever wondered why prawns seem smaller at home than they appeared at the supermarket? Could it be that the seafood cabinets use magnified glass to tempt our eyes with plump juicy prawns?

If you’ve got an EVERYDAY Conspiracy Theory, send it to [email protected] or search for the Everyday Conspiracy Theories pages on Instagram and Facebook.

New 15-minute episodes of the Everyday Conspiracy Theories podcast are available every Tuesday on all platforms.

Find the latest ep here.

Sean is also available as a guest for any brekky shows keen talk about everyday conspiracy theories.