There is a wonderfully evocative term, Stand Alone Complex, from the anime series of the same name, which refers to actions taken by people behaving as though they were part of a conspiracy even though no actual conspiracy is present. It’s pretty much tailor-made for this case.
Mencius Moldbug calls this instance the Cathedral, in an insightful series of articles indexed here.
There is a wonderfully evocative term, Stand Alone Complex, from the anime series of the same name, which refers to actions taken by people behaving as though they were part of a conspiracy even though no actual conspiracy is present. It’s pretty much tailor-made for this case.
Mencius Moldbug calls this instance the Cathedral, in an insightful series of articles indexed here.