2021/09/01 by Peter Forberg · 1 voice · 3 citations
Social Sciences · Computer Science · #Misinformation and Its Impacts #Ethics and Social Impacts of AI #Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection
paper · doi:10.1177/08912416211040560
openalex publication_date 2021/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In this article, I examine the convergence of the socio-technological processes that enabled members of far-right conspiracy theory QAnon to expand beyond the “echo chambers” of the online fringe and incorporate themselves into mainstream discourse. Drawing on interdisciplinary research methods to focus on how technology is used in practice, I analyze QAnon’s online life through the concepts of algorithms, user experiences , and routines . I argue that QAnon followers’ deliberate manipulation of and incidental capitalization on algorithms gives QAnon’s content momentum that spreads information across communities; that the affordances of the user experiences of different platforms allow QAnons to curate a variety of strategies for growing their ideas and audience; and that the integration of QAnon participation into personal routines helps move the theory offline. Ultimately, a ground-up approach to digital socialization adds complexity to the analysis of echo chambers and algorithmic power.