🚨 NEW from me 🚨

Will conspiracy theories influence the US Election?

Facebook has banned QAnon - but I’ve interviewed US voters + experts who fear political disinformation under new guises has already impacted voting - and could undermine democracy!

bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-tre…
📻 Listen on @bbcworldservice @BBCtrending - presented by @mwendling + produced by Ant Adeane!

I speak to voters from different backgrounds who fear the impact of QAnon-related disinfo - and experts who worry QAnon’s world view could undermine democracy. bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3…
There’s also a podcast on @BBCSounds 👉 bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3…

This is an in-depth follow up to this report on @BBCNews at Ten - looking at possible effects of conspiracy theories on voters!

We follow the characters + the influence of political disinfo beyond polling day.
The US election campaign is full of talk about the pandemic, the Supreme Court and police reform.

But millions of Americans are tuning into an entirely different conversation full of conspiracy theories and rumours!

Could this shadow world influence the vote? THREAD👇 Image
💤 Generation Z, Generation Q?

“Saying it out loud, it just sounds crazy," says 24-year-old Jade Flury, reading out a text convo with a friends.

Jade's friend has been taken in by Instagram videos about QAnon - and believes baseless claims the Dems run a child-trafficking ring. Image
And she's worries this impacts how friends will vote..

“Some of them now think the Democrats are evil. Others think Trump is the saviour.

"And some people truly believe that their vote just doesn't count at all because the 'elites' control it," she says.

(The receipts)👇 Image
Almost 1,000 miles from Houston where Jade lives, 68-year-old Tom Long uses social media quite differently.

For one thing, he doesn't have an Instagram account. But his Facebook feed - and the group he runs which focuses on local politics - have also been overrun by conspiracy! Image
He worries this is affecting his neighbours’ political opinions.

“When you start scrolling, you see all these crazy things that are posted and reposted that derive from QAnon," says Tom.

They include memes linking Biden and the Democrats to unfounded allegations of child abuse. Image
Going mainstream 💻📱

Opponents of the president are also susceptible to baseless conspiracy theories, spreading fact-free rumours that Trump's coronavirus diagnosis was faked.

But QAnon has been by far the most popular conspiracy theory circulating online. Image
Research from @Shayan86 found QAnon has generated more than 100 million comments, shares and likes on social media this year.

The biggest QAnon Facebook groups generated 44 million interactions - about two-thirds of reactions generated by v popular Black Lives Matter groups!
Initial crackdowns by social media sites appeared to slow the spread - but QAnon supporters soon used new hashtags to evade measures and reach the average Facebook or Instagram feed!

And that means people coming across this political disinfo not realising its QAnon.
Though a relatively small percentage of Americans believe in an "elite satanic child abuse ring", other popular ideas spread by QAnon - like a deep state trying to undermine Trump - are rapidly taking hold @wphillips49 tells me.
Whitney Phillips argues that the danger of QAnon is actually much larger than its influence on the votes - or non-votes!

QAnon prepares the ground for a wholesale rejection of democracy itself, noting that Trump has refused to confirm a peaceful transfer of power if he loses. Image
This week Facebook banned QAnon content - Twitter did similar previously. No new action from YouTube.

But shape-shifting QAnon supporters using more palatable hashtags like SaveOurChildren have already reached new people with political disinfo and their world view.
I recently asked Facebook boss Nick Clegg about this - and he denied Facebook has acted too late on QAnon.

But the new, more strict ban all QAnon accounts came into place soon after. Facebook also said they will specifically tackle content using hashtags like #SaveOurChildren.
Whether action by the social media companies will have any effect on QAnon's popularity will be an open question for some time.

But for Tom Long in Florida, the damage has already been done. Conspiracies are yet another thing tearing America apart for him. Image
Get in touch if you know someone impacted by political disinformation promoted by QAnon! Whether in the US or here in the UK - DM me and Marianna.spring@bbc.co.uk 📧
Lots in the US have got in touch about friend’s neighbours who now believes the Dems running a child-trafficking ring.

And in the UK too - who have seen posters with SaveOurChildren and other QAnon hashtags.

Undoing this worldview when many don’t realise it’s QAnon is hard!
When talking about the impact of conspiracy theories and political disinformation - the ability to suppress voters rather than galvanise the already decided is important.

Allegations of vile crimes could do that!

And obvious attempts like this are happening lots👇
And as political disinformation - from campaigns or spreading organically - ramps up in the coming weeks, do get in touch if there’s anything you want me and the team to investigate! DM or Marianna.spring@bbc.co.uk 📧

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More from @mariannaspring

19 Oct
🚨 There are unsubstantiated claims that a computer allegedly owned by Hunter Biden contained images of child sexual abuse.

There’s no evidence that the claims are true – so where did they come from?

Here’s a thread on how this political disinformation spread and mutated!
After the controversial New York Post story about Hunter Biden broke last week, a story asking if “something darker” could be on the computer allegedly belonging to him appeared on this site, Revolver. Image
Revolver is a right-wing site tends to aggregate pro-Trump stories from other places – and links from it have been shared by the President himself.
 
It most recently did an exclusive Interview with the President’s former chief adviser Steve Bannon about the alleged hard drive.
Read 13 tweets
7 Sep
Here’s a thread rating the wave of abuse I’ve received this weekend!

As the BBC’s specialist disinformation reporter, I expect nasty stuff from conspiracy theorists. But it shouldn’t be the norm - which I want to highlight.

1️⃣ 9/10 - gets pedo in early and ends with threat.
2️⃣ 8/10 - DM to my private Instagram. I tend not to respond to abuse, but brilliant reference to Come Dine With Me that I just couldn’t ignore. Good use of hell imagery.

Just in case you fancy rewatching this gem:
3️⃣ 6/10 - another Instagram DM. Gets straight to the point with a threat I have to report. Keeping me on my toes on a Saturday night.
Read 14 tweets
2 Sep
🚨QAnon and the rabbit hole election!

I spoke to @KattyKay_ and Christian Fraser @BBCWorld about QAnon’s efforts to target Joe Biden with disinfo.

And how the conspiracy theory is spilling into local Facebook groups in swing states like Michigan using SaveTheChildren👇
QAnon conspiracy theorists have been plugging unfounded claims that Biden’s family is connected to Epstein in a bid to link Biden with child trafficking.

His brother does own an island near to Epstein’s - but there is 0 evidence he had anything to do with Epstein’s abuse👇 Image
As this conspiracy theory becomes increasingly popular, it spills out from hardcore conspiracy theory groups and profiles onto the average facebook feed.

Now screenshots of QAnon influencers using SaveTheChildren hashtag are shared in local groups like this one in Michigan👇 Image
Read 6 tweets
30 Aug
The response to my coverage of yesterday’s protests reveals the worrying number of people taken in by dangerous disinformation.

Pandemic conspiracy theories are merging with QAnon - with many
emailing me to explain how coronavirus is a hoax used to cover up child trafficking👇
And my coverage of vaccine conspiracy theories on Friday has similarly highlighted how many have fallen victim to vaccine disinfo already.

The comments on local and parent Facebook groups where I’ve been investigating this stuff - and also in my mentions below!
To be clear - those emailing me and in my mentions could easily be coordinated groups and trolling campaigns.

But comparing this to emails I’ve received before and a quick look at their profiles makes me very concerned about how many are being exposed to conspiracy theories.
Read 5 tweets
29 Aug
Protests happening today in central London, as well as in other cities across the world, opposing lockdown and masks - and promoting coronavirus conspiracy theories👇

That includes that Covid-19 is a hoax, Bill Gates will microchip everyone with vaccines and QAnon!
I spoke on @BBCLondonNews yesterday about how posters promoting these protests - and vaccine conspiracy theories - have been shared on local and parents Facebook groups in recent days! Watch here👇
I wrote about the dangerous coronavirus conspiracy theories being touted at the protests today for @BBCWorld live page👇

Whilst some protesters expressed concerns about the impact of lockdown, others had placards featuring false claims about vaccines, masks and the pandemic!
Read 4 tweets
24 Aug
NEW 🚨 A taxi driver from Florida, who believed false claims that coronavirus was a hoax, has lost his wife to Covid-19.

The couple didn't follow health guidance after reading on social media that the virus was fake, linked to 5G or like the flu.

bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-…
I interviewed Brian in May for an investigation into the human cost of coronavirus misinformation 👇

Whilst Brian recovered, his 46-year-old wife became critically ill and died this month from heart problems linked to coronavirus.

bbc.co.uk/news/stories-5…
This is a very sad example of the real damage done by coronavirus misinformation.

It raises important questions about what social media sites and governments must do to better protect users from coronavirus misinfo in the coming months - especially vaccine conspiracy theories. Image
Read 7 tweets

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