Pseudo-scientific versus anti-scientific online conspiracism
A comparison of the Flat Earth Society’s Internet forum and Reddit
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6443370 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Federico Pilati (0000-0001-5526-1011, University of Bologna, corresponding author), 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) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 5324-5341 |
| Publication date | 2024-05-14 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | New Media & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/14614448241252593 |
| OpenAlex | W4396898580 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 33 |
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
Post-Truth
Participatory Culture, Community, and Play
Orality and Literacy
Deep state phobia
Memecry
Contesting epistemic authority
How to Talk to a Science Denier
A Lot of People Are Saying
American Conspiracy Theories
Dead and Alive
On Bullshit
From the Fringe to the Fore
Tracing normiefication
Constructing alternative facts
Some Dare Call It Conspiracy
Speaking Truth to Conspiracy
Do Your Own Research
On the Fringe
Digital Methods for Ethnography
Online Conspiracy Theories, Digital Platforms and Secondary Orality
Panic, pizza and mainstreaming the alt-right
Inducing Resistance to Conspiracy Theory Propaganda
The Consequences of Literacy
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |