Conspiracy theories

How Dutch conspiracy media include TikTok in their grand conspiracy theories

Paper

Ruben den Boer

21/02/2024

31 minutes to read

TikTok has been widely discussed and criticized in mainstream media. But the app has also been hotly debated in conspiracy media. How do they employ TikTok controversies to perpetuate their grand conspiratorial narratives?

The unintended consequences of taking misinformative electoral content off the air

Article

Helena Secaf dos Santos

02/10/2023

11 minutes to read

The regulatory strategy of taking online content off the air to counter electoral misinformation might backfire and create more distrust in democratic institutions.

How fake news website ‘De Nieuwe Media’ uses journalistic terminology

Paper

Ruben den Boer

06/04/2022

10 minutes to read

The content on fake news websites might not be considered journalistic, these websites do use journalistic terminology. To understand how, we analyze the website of De Nieuwe Media.

Conspiracy theories, Fake News & Digital Media

File

Conspiracy theories and fake news are not new phenomena, but digital media did enable the upscaling of the circulation, and thus the impact of those conspiracy theories.

‘5G users be like’: (In)visibility as evidence in 5G conspiracy memes

Article

Mijke Akkermans

09/08/2020

16 minutes to read

For several years, conspiracy theorists have promoted the idea that 5G waves are harmful for one's health, now even relating this to the coronavirus. This paper explores how memes are used to define (in)visibility as evidence within this theory.

QAnon: The alt-right war machine and social media mobilization

Article

Daniel Obubo

10/01/2020

12 minutes to read

QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory about an on-going war between President Donald Trump and the "deep state". This article examines how QAnon followers use social media to their benefit by inviting skeptics to read between the lines.

Piia Varis on conspiracy theories and climate change denial - Babylon is Burning

Video

The Editors

15/12/2019

According to Piia Varis, conspiracy theories existed long before the invention of the internet. However, digital media and online platforms now allow conspiracy theory believers to 'find' each other and support for their claims online.

Area 51 raiders: from meme to micro-population?

Article

Leonie Milder

03/12/2019

16 minutes to read

A Facebook event called 'Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us' went viral in the summer of 2019 and gave rise to 'Area 51 raiders'. Two million people said they'd be 'going'. Its impact was huge, but are Area 51 raiders a micro-population?