You seem to be conflating the -ists for the -isms.

For, the most basic distinguishing feature between “the right” and “the left” is the distinction between individualism and collectivism.

I disagree. In the extreme, individualism and collectivism are almost the same because they flatten all relationships and structure to nothing, albeit in opposite ways. It’s also a false dichotomy, because there are any number of possible structures which exist between these two extremes. In practice, the extremes are impossible to achieve because they lack any coherent structure which could maintain them, so the appeal to one or the other is largely rhetorical. I repudiate both precisely because I distinguish between person A, who is a friend or family member, and person B, who is neither. I am contra individualism because I believe in the collectives of my family and my fellow religious believers; I am contra collectivism because those collectives are exclusive, not universal.

The distinction between political Left and Right is much better captured by Thomas Sowell in his book, “A Conflict of Visions.” It’s a thorough and studious work which demonstrates its point across a large array of political thinkers. The summary is that the Right sees politics as a series of practical compromises we make within the constraints imposed upon us by reality; the Left sees no such constraints and believes that an ideal outcome is possible given sufficient unity of political will, so compromise is evil.

If the book is a little more than you are prepared to take on, then you may at least find one of my (now defunct) Argues with Robots articles, The Left and Right, an interesting read.

“Once you embrace the way of the conspiracy theorist, there is no off ramp. It becomes an addiction.“

As see Candace Owens. She has to keep throwing ever-redder meat to her audience.

Who is “far right”? What is “the far right”? What distinguishes “far right” from “the right that leftists won’t demonize”?

The truth is, most, if not all, the people being called “far right” are really just another variant of leftist. For, the most basic distinguishing feature between “the right” and “the left” is the distinction between individualism and collectivism.