EDITORIAL: QAnon, other theories are symptoms of mistrust
Conspiracy theories spread rabidly, influence elections
A good conspiracy theory is always entertaining, but some are a bit more far-fetched (and egregious) than others — and can even lead to dangerous consequences.
In recent months, QAnon has gone from a relatively unknown theory, shelved in the dusty corners of the internet, to a full-fledged phenomenon. But what is it?
"'QAnon' is a baseless internet conspiracy theory whose followers believe that a cabal of Satan-worshipping Democrats, Hollywood celebrities and billionaires runs the world while engaging in pedophilia, human trafficking and the harvesting of a supposedly life-extending chemical from the blood of abused children. QAnon followers believe that (President) Donald (J.) Trump is waging a secret battle against this cabal and its ‘deep state’ collaborators to expose the malefactors and send them all to Guantánamo Bay,” according to The Guardian.
The whole thing is basically a Trump fanfiction, but the movement is gaining steam. Jack Bratich, associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, discussed it in a recent Rutgers Today article, explaining what causes such wild theories to circulate in the first place.
“People are feeling this heightened uncertainty and seeking a stable future. QAnon gives them clear enemies, a secure future based on an unfolding 'plan,' a meaningful story of triumphing over evil and a way to participate in its implementation. (The year) 2020 has provided two main events for its success: the upcoming presidential election and the coronavirus (disease (COVID-19)) pandemic and lockdown,” Bratich said, according to Rutgers Today.
A lot of this has to do with media usage. Conspiracy theories have always been a thing, but never before have they been able to spread so quickly.
With the advent of the internet, information — and disinformation — can spread like wildfire under the right circumstances. The stay-at-home orders in the spring and general wariness to go outside amid the pandemic has caused people to spend more time online. This has helped movements, like QAnon, gain followers, Bratich said.
“People have been spending more time at home, which translates into more media usage. There’s more time to consume, circulate and produce QAnon material,” Bratich said.
Trump also refuses to disavow the group. He knows that QAnon is a big part of his support, and the group’s rhetoric helps shape the view that many hardline Republicans have — that Trump is some sort of savior, or some sort of redeeming figure in American politics. He refuses to dismiss them because he knows he needs them.
“Those who endured the Trump town hall on Thursday night witnessed the president of the United States contort himself into a Q shape to avoid saying anything bad about the wingnuts. If anything, he went out of his way to say the opposite. When the NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie asked Trump to disavow QAnon in its entirety, Trump feigned ignorance before completely reversing himself” according to The Guardian.
The rampant dissemination of and subscription to QAnon also relates to information literacy, or the lack thereof.
There is a term in the media world called “digital native,” which simply describes a person who grew up with the internet. These people tend to be better at differentiating between fake and real information. Older people, on the other hand, tend to run with misinformation — which fuels wild conspiracies like QAnon and even impacts our elections.
“People aged 65 and older are (approximately) four times more likely to share fake news on social media than younger people and were responsible for spreading much more of the disinformation during the 2016 presidential campaign,” according to U.S. News & World Report.
Twitter has banned QAnon accounts on its platform, but stopping the spread of conspiracies is usually a futile effort. If you remove members of any group from a platform, they will simply congregate elsewhere.
What this really stems from is a record mistrust in not only our American institutions, but also in each other.
“Americans think the public’s trust has been declining in both the federal government and in their fellow citizens. Three-quarters of Americans say that their fellow citizens’ trust in the federal government has been shrinking, and 64 (percent) believe that about peoples’ trust in each other,” according to Pew Research Center.
When people have nothing to place their trust or faith in, they resort to wacky theories. At the end of the day, QAnon itself is not the problem — it is a symptom of a larger one. And the only way to solve the problem of mistrust is transparency — to each other, from institutions above and from news organizations.
But what can we do?
First, if you want to show a friend or relative a QAnon post (or any other dis-informative content) for whatever reason, do not share it. Take a screenshot instead, as sharing these posts allow them to gain prominence in most social media algorithms and spread further. In addition, report the posts.
Luckily, QAnon will likely die with Trump's presidency, but the fight against dangerous conspiracies will not.
The Daily Targum's editorials represent the views of the majority of the 152nd editorial board. Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the views of the Targum Publishing Company or its staff.
