The Trump trial and the internet conspiracy infecting the world | Conversation

Aug 7, 2023

30:44

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An internet hoax conceived on a fringe message board grew into an online conspiracy theory so far-reaching that it sparked the January 6 attack on the US capitol. Now Qanon has gone global, what are the consequences for politics and society?

Rachel Cunliffe is joined by James Ball, journalist and author of The Other Pandemic: How QAnon Contaminated the World. They discuss the most recent indictment against former US president, Donald Trump, and how his actions were informed by the viral internet conspiracy group known as Qanon.

They examine how the QAnon movement spread across mainstream social media platforms and mutated into something bigger and more dangerous: encompassing anti-vaxxers, Covid deniers, incels, and those who believe they must save children from LGBT "groomers".

How did governments and big tech companies allow a conspiracy theory to get so big it threatened American democracy? And now this "digital virus" is out there, what can be done to combat it?

Read more about the chaos and confusion of Donald Trump on trial: https://www.newstatesman.com/world/americas/north-america/us/2023/08/chaos-confusion-donald-trump-on-trial

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