They approach young people on gaming platforms, luring them into private rooms with memes that start out as funny jokes and gradually become openly racist. They literally sell their ideas, commodifying their slogans and actions with live streams, t-shirts and coffee mugs. They sneak into chats, offering friendship and listening to people who talk online about being alone, depressed or chronically ill. An article published today on the Washington Post explains how far-right conspiracy groups manage to proselytize on the Web coming to form closed circles in which to bind people are recreational activities such as music, in a sort of festival atmosphere which then results in violent actions, like the attack on the Capitol on January 6, without them realizing that they are part of an ideological battle. The people who broke into the Congress building then said “What did I do wrong? I didn’t think it was illegal ” – explains to the American newspaper Robert Futrell, sociologist at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas -, they want what we all want: belonging, friendship, cultural ties.
Before conspiracy theories take hold, one must come to believe that the society is somehow manipulated against us and this creates a sense of community. What unites neo-Nazis, ecological fascists, conspiracy theorists not ideology but culture – Rota Katz, executive director of Site Intelligence Group, which monitors extremism online, tells the Washington Post – it’s the videos, the films, the posters, the memes.
Conspiracy theorists and deniers in the US and around the world: the news
During Donald Trump’s presidency Far-right groups found fertile ground to grow and succeeded in creating lasting communities that they used pop culture to entertain their recruits. White supremacists, militias, men’s rights groups, anti-Muslim agitators and other extremist organizers have created a network of multimedia offerings, including videos, podcasts, conferences, articles and games such as Black Lives Splatter, which challenges players to drive cars against as many protesters from the Black Lives Matter movement as possible. The demand that grew with the pandemic, as people have had more time to spend on the web.
Examples are i Boogaloo Boys, a network of anti-government groups born on the forum 4Chan convinced that the United States is moving towards civil war. At first they appear as gods cheerful boys, dressed in a witty way and with a ready joke, then, for, they organize meetings on weapons, rights and patriotism. The goal is to win over people who are anti-big business, anti-war, pro-gun, and nationalist. As newcomers feel more part of the group, they discover increasingly explicit insurrectionist memes, videos, and messages that call for the need for an armed overthrow of the government.
May 1, 2021 (change May 1, 2021 | 5:59 pm)
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