Its more than that - conspiracy theories and communities fulfill a psychological need for those who immerse in them - discovery, knowing something other people dont know, feeling special, being in an in-group, social acceptance, group cohesion and more.

http://feuniversity.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Moyer_People-Drawn-to-Conspiracy-Theories.pdf

For those reasons, people buy into these things. The 'did my research' is more an excuse than an actual reason.