Extremist language in anti-COVID-19 conspiracy discourse on Facebook

Marko, Karoline

doi:10.1080/17405904.2022.2110134

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…To better understand these smaller social media communities and the opportunities and challenges they present for librarians and educators, the authors explored two discrete examples: one influencer on Facebook with a small following of ∼4,000 people, and another influencer on Telegram with a much larger following. Telegram has gained scholarly attention for its unique platform affordances in spreading conspiracy theories (Garry et al, 2021;Walther and McCoy, 2021;Peeters and Willaert, 2022), while Facebook has been explored as a social media platform ideally situated to wield outsized influence on the spread of hoaxes, conspiracy theories, misinformation and disinformation (Yasmin and Spencer, 2020;Innes and Innes, 2021;Oremus and Merrill, 2021;Marko, 2022;Mont'Alverne et al, 2023). Following these scholars, we sought to explore the evolution of the QAnon movement.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When belief becomes research: conspiracist communities on the social web

Greer,

Beene

2024

Front. Commun.

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IntroductionThis article explores two QAnon subgroups that were not active during the initial phase of the movement but now epitomize how QAnon has capitalized on social media to reach more people. We examine these smaller communities through the lens of information literacy and other literacies to identify opportunities for librarians and educators.ResultsThe communities of conspiracy theorists explored here exhibit information behaviors distinct from the initial QAnon community, presenting opportunities for information professionals to employ new models of information literacy, metaliteracy, and other literacies to combat conspiracy ideation. Notable themes evidenced in both samples include an increasing religiosity affiliated with QAnon, affective states that promote conspiracy ideation, faulty hermeneutics and epistemologies, and specific literacy gaps.Methods and discussionWe must update our understanding of QAnon and its adherents' shifting priorities and behaviors. Through investigating these smaller subgroups, researchers and educators can address the evolution of the QAnon movement by teaching to literacy gaps and logical fallacies, and acknowledging the troubling emotions that undergird broader belief systems.

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