Publication Date

8-2023

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Information & Culture

Volume

58

Issue

2

First Page

129

Last Page

144

Abstract

This paper presents a taxonomy of the information practices apparent in an imageboard discussion thread that was influential in jump-starting the worldwide QAnon movement. After introducing QAnon with a review of literature, the author examines 4Chan /pol/ thread #147547939 (key in introducing multiple key elements of the QAnon narrative) to enumerate and classify the information practices deployed by discussion participants. In conclusion, the paper expands beyond existing research’s previous focus on outright fabrication, showing that early QAnon participants’ information practices are also defined in large part by suspicious and idiosyncratic modes of reading authentic sources, not simply the propagation of falsehoods.

Keywords

conspiracy theories, epistemology, information practices, internet culture, misinformation, disinformation

Comments

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copy edit version of an article published in Information & Culture, Volume 58, Number 2, 2023. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/15/article/902589.

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Information

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