Why do seemingly intelligent rational people profess to believe in impossibly outlandish conspiracy theories? Why do more and more people now feel that grand government cover-ups exist? Why do television shows depicting the paranormal and unexplained continue to grow in popularity?

The answer to these questions lies in a fundamental change taking place in modern society. Computers and communication technology are destroying something that for hundreds of years humans have taken for granted. Technology is robbing humanity of its secrets.

Twenty years ago if someone wanted to find out where you were born they�d have to go to a dusty courthouse file cabinet. Today within minutes all the details of your life can be uncovered electronically. Your past will no longer fade away; there will always be a digital trail of information to haunt you. The combination of ease of access to intimate knowledge and the permanence of this information terrifies people.

The societal response to the end of personal secrets has been to compensate with new, though entirely fictional ones. For each small bit of privacy that is chiseled away each day, another piece of a massive conspiracy is added. In an age where no one can keep secrets, we have started a romantic notion that the biggest secret of all is still hidden, and will remain that way.

The creators of "The X-Files" realize what their audience wants. While the show's writers constantly broaden the scope of an ongoing conspiracy they are careful to make sure that the conspiracy is never fully revealed. Once the mystery is gone the show�s audience is soon to follow.

Paranoia has always existed of course, but the boogieman of the 50�s "red scare" is considerably different than the shadowy conspiracies of today. During the cold war we knew who our enemy was, without a great opponent left to battle the public has created a new one. Only one real question remains, is a fictional conspiracy any less terrifying then a real one?