by Arnav Harve
On December 4, 2016, Edgar Maddison Welch walked into the Comet Ping Pong pizza restaurant in Washington D.C with an AR-15 rifle; after firing shots, Welch was surrounded by police and subsequently arrested. Welch’s motivation for these actions was an online conspiracy theory called “Pizzagate”, which alleged that several high-ranking Democrat officials, including Hillary Clinton, had operated a human trafficking and child sex ring under U.S. restaurants like Comet Ping Pong. Welch had grown to believe these accusations, and in a moment of rage wanted to uncover the truth once and for all. The Pizzagate theory has been debunked by numerous sources, yet it has seen an unprecedented spike in discussion recently from platforms like TikTok all around the world. These beliefs have been continually adopted as a result of a dangerous environment that allows conspiracy theories and misinformation to flourish and proliferate. The majority of Americans do not espouse these perspectives, yet the fact that they have spread as much as they have shows that a change must be made toward this culture of misinformation. By limiting the expansion of these theories, progress can be achieved to cultivate a society rooted not in fear or denial, but in reality.
In order to combat the growth of conspiracy theories, it is important to examine them and determine what qualities led them to be adopted. One prominent example is QAnon, a theory which has received significant attention in the mainstream media and is similar to the aforementioned Pizzagate conspiracy theory. QAnon is a large, multifaceted phenomenon, but its core contention is this: the world is run by an elite clique of Satan-worshipping pedophiles, who operate a global child sex trafficking ring and conspire against Donald Trump, who was elected to break this criminal enterprise. At the heart of the conspiracy theory is an anonymous user on the 4chan social media site named Q, a “high ranking intelligence officer” who claims to have knowledge of Trump’s efforts against this elite cabal and posts clues called “drops” on the site. QAnon followers have also endorsed other prominent conspiracy theories, such as the existence of U.F.Os and disputes against the veracity of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In recent months, their online presence has significantly increased —one prominent example had followers hijack the “#savethechildren” hashtag to promote the theory. The rise of QAnon followers is no coincidence - conspiracy theories have always thrived in times of uncertainty and political or social unrest. For example, the era of McCarthyism can be considered a conspiracy theory, as unsubstantiated fear toward communism moved Americans to follow the anti-Communist propaganda by the US government during the Cold War. Another older example, of fear that a hated minority was drinking the blood of children, has remained for hundreds of years (notably in an anti-Semitic form) and is even an integral part of the QAnon theory. QAnon emerged during the 2016 election, a time when the U.S. was becoming increasingly polarized and uncertainty toward the presidency was at its peak. During such a turbulent time, conspiracy theories such as this one helped people feel in control, and made them feel that they were a part of something much greater than themselves. That being said, QAnon is still a niche belief - a recent Pew survey showed that the majority of Americans (over seventy percent) who have heard about QAnon believe that it is “somewhat bad” or “very bad” for the country. Nevertheless, twenty percent of those Americans still say that QAnon is “somewhat good” or “very good” for the country, a troubling statistic which has only grown as QAnon spreads through the media. With QAnon recently labeled as a domestic terrorist threat, the dangers that it and other up-and-coming theories pose to democracy cannot be understated.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is the perfect breeding ground for conspiracy theories and false information, where immense uncertainty is met with unprecedented social unrest and anger, all under the backdrop of one of the most divisive American elections in history. These theories may not have the harsh rhetoric and complex lore of QAnon, but in the midst of this pandemic, they can channel the anger of the populace and lead to potentially deadly circumstances. This spread of misinformation, popularly known as the ‘infodemic’, has encompassed numerous different beliefs. Some are focused on false treatments to COVID-19, such as drinking bleach or taking hydroxychloroquine, while others defy public health measures by focusing on anti-mask or anti-lockdown activism. The most alarming theories are related to COVID-19 denial — many minimize its consequences or even claim that it was a manufactured bioweapon from China. Another recent Pew survey found that at least a quarter of US adults believe that there is some truth to the belief that the coronavirus was intentionally started. It is no doubt that the presence of social media has extended these beliefs to new heights, but there remains an important constant in this sea of misinformation: Donald Trump. His presidency and election campaign had been marked by spreading false information about COVID-19; Trump has also frequently used Twitter to show support to anti-mask and lockdown protests, and received significant attention for his claims that antimalarial drugs and disinfectants could act as “miracle cures” for the coronavirus. Moreover, a recent Cornell University study found that Trump was the single largest driver of coronavirus misinformation in traditional and online media. Trump’s hazardous spread of misinformation can be encountered far beyond the pandemic: in the years before the 2012 election, Trump supported the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was not a citizen of the United States. In the years of his presidency, he expressed approval for QAnon followers, calling them people who “love their country”. Most recently, he has advocated for election recounts in numerous states despite considerable evidence of the integrity of the electoral process. This theory, in particular, has presented the most danger; look no further than the storming of the Capitol, in which prominent hate groups and activists all rallied together under the baseless belief that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. At the riot, conspiracy theories took center stage, as advocates of the COVID-19 hoax theory, QAnon, and others led the crowd in the vicious attack on democracy. Nina Jankowicz, disinformation expert at the nonpartisan Wilson Center, has summarized the significance of this event best: “[On January 6], the effect of disinformation, conspiracy theories, and extremism was on display for the entire world to see.” It is evident that a dangerous culture of misinformation is present, especially in the US, and that Donald Trump has expanded it significantly.
The world is facing an unprecedented level of uncertainty, fear, anger, and political unrest, and it is only natural that people want to feel some semblance of hope or control. Conspiracy theories allow people to find validation in their beliefs, no matter how far-fetched, and they provide comfort in the knowledge that others also share the same beliefs. Nevertheless, the ‘infodemic’ has wreaked havoc upon the democratic process and recent efforts to curb COVID-19; it is of paramount importance that solutions are found to remedy this crisis. Currently, platforms such as Youtube and Facebook have removed or banned any mention of QAnon, and have either displayed warnings on posts that may feature inflammatory COVID-19 misinformation or removed them entirely. Following the aftermath of the Capitol riot, social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have even gone as far as to suspend Donald Trump’s account completely. Yet in order to completely remove the proliferation of false information, it is necessary to approach the issue at its root; this can be achieved through inspiring skepticism towards social media posts. One exceptional example of doing this is through an online game called “Go Viral!” - in an effort to show how conspiracy theories are merely lies spread by adept manipulators, the program has users simulate the experience of posting on a social media site, attempting to reach more likes by posting false and provocative content. In addition, a clear message should continue to be spread through social media about the truth of COVID-19, as organizations such as the UN have implemented, and the falsehood of conspiracy theories. At the core of these efforts should be empathy for victims of these harmful and manipulative lies.
Conspiracy theories like QAnon and Pizzagate have shown the extent to which this dangerous culture of misinformation will propagate even the most far-fetched of beliefs. Furthermore, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and the presidency of Donald Trump have continued to show the potentially fatal harm of this false information. Finally, the platforms of social media have demonstrated the contagious potential of these theories, and science has shown how the human mind can be manipulated during times of uncertainty and unrest. It is imperative that steps are taken to combat this distressing crisis, in order to revive the sacred environment of truth once again.