I noticed a little over a decade ago that there was an uptick in discourse over conspiracy theories and a muddying of the waters around them. And it became clear to me that there was an upside for those participating in secret dealings to foment more and more conspiracy talk etc. The more noise, the better.

I feel like the Epstein files release confirms the vibe I got. The right really does want everyone stupid and confused. 4chan, Reddit, and later Joe Rogan and X are all tools in this effort.