Then one went mainstream

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GoodTaste

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Does "Then one went mainstream" mean "Then one of the three conspiracy theories became mainstream"?


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In the first few months of 2020, wild conspiracy theories about Bill Gates and the new coronavirus began sprouting online. Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist who has funded efforts to control the virus with treatments, vaccines and technology, had himself created the virus, argued one theory. He had patented it, said another. He’d use vaccines to control people, declared a third. The false claims quietly proliferated among groups predisposed to spread the message — people opposed to vaccines, globalization or the privacy infringements enabled by technology. Then one went mainstream.

Source: Nature 27 MAY 2020
The epic battle against coronavirus misinformation and conspiracy theories
Analysts are tracking false rumours about COVID-19 in hopes of curbing their spread.
 
It was so popular it was no longer on the fringe. So yes, it became mainstream.
 
Does "Then one went mainstream" mean "Then one of the three conspiracy theories became mainstream"?
Remove the underlined word and you've got it. "Them" refers to the false claims. "A third" in the preceding text refers to a count of lies the author has mentioned to that point. In lists of this kind, it's understood that the author is only telling us some of the items.
 
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