SoylentNews

aristarchus [soylentnews.org] writes:

From "On Tech" in The New York Times [nytimes.com]:

This article is part of the On Tech newsletter.

Just describing QAnon [nytimes.com] — a sprawling, false theory that there is a “deep state” of child-molesting Satanists in charge of powerful institutions — makes me confused.

But we can’t ignore QAnon [nytimes.com], even if we find the conspiracy bizarre. QAnon supporters are co-opting advocacy efforts in areas such as anti-child sex trafficking, believers are poised to get elected to office [nytimes.com] and followers are committing violence [nytimes.com]. Elements of QAnon are popping up everywhere.

“I don’t think anyone realized how big it would become,” said Zarine Kharazian, assistant editor at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, which studies online misinformation.

Conspiracies are as old as time, but QAnon has a modern twist: It thrives off internet sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Short version:

• 
  Stop recommending this content.
  Take down conspiracy influencers.
  Block links.
  Collaborate.
  Rethink trending content.

Original Submission