I'm not rewriting history here, claiming it was a conspiracy theory or it benefitted from them is flawed. Everything happened in real time, Free Britney benefitted from fans sticking to factual information that could be verified and the statement a of others with platforms that had experienced working with Britney. If anyone, conspiracy theories hindered it by inviting the worst kinds of individuals to try and utilise for their own personal benefit, and the divides that came from "fans" platforming anyone who said Britney blinking once meant she wasn't free.