Pseudo-scientific versus anti-scientific online conspiracism

A comparison of the Flat Earth Society’s Internet forum and Reddit

Dados Bibliográficos

ID6443370
AutoresFederico Pilati (0000-0001-5526-1011, University of Bologna, autor correspondente), T Venturini (0000-0003-0004-5308, University of Geneva), P L Sacco (0000-0002-5559-2889, University of Chieti-Pescara), Floriana Gargiulo (0000-0001-9813-1815, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)
Ano2024
Volume27
Fascículo9
Páginas5324-5341
Data de publicação2024-05-14
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoNew Media & Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315
EditoraSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14614448241252593
OpenAlexW4396898580
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas2
Referências citadas33

Attitudes of distrust and paranoia toward scientific and political institutions are increasingly identified as major troubles in online communication and often lumped together under the umbrella term of conspiracy theories. However, this term encompasses two distinct communication practices that deserve to be distinguished. Traditional conspiratorial thinking adopts pseudo-scientific arguments, while newer manifestations lack coherent theories, promoting trolling, and antagonism. We argue that these strands align with different types of digital communications and are supported by different technical infrastructure and cultures of use, with classic conspiracy theories prevalent in early online venues and “conspiracies-without-theory” more common on social media. By comparing the Flat Earth Society’s Internet forum and its subreddit, we highlight their stark differences. The forum prioritizes pseudo-scientific discourse, while the subreddit fosters confrontational antagonism and unmoderated escalation. Recognizing these distinctions is vital for understanding their communicative profoundly different nature and developing targeted strategies to address them effectively

Confusion · Distrust · Epistemology · Internet privacy · Media studies · Paranoia · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Science communication · Scientific communication · Sociology · The Internet · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Social Media and Politics