Thread by @_MAArgentino

1/ In my latest for @GNET_research here is part one on the series about the role of women in QAnon: "Pastel QAnon"
gnet-research.org/2021/03/17/pas…

2/ I first used the term Pastel QAnon in reference to a community of female QAnon/QAnon adjacent influencers initially found on Instagram but now present across multiple platforms.

3/ Many of these women were first lifestyle influencers, mommy bloggers, fitness instructors, diet influencers, or promote alternative healing. The "Pastel” refers to the aesthetic and branding these influencers provide to their pages and in turn QAnon.

4/ What unites these influencers is the child trafficking narrative. The initial deplatforming of QAnon in summer 2020- combined with child trafficking awareness month- lead to the hijacking of "save the children” by QAnon and gave rise to a surge in Pastel QAnon content.

5/ Female influencers in QAnon also play a role in connecting Pastel QAnon with the wider QAnon movement. Since the mass deplatforming of QAnon following January 6th Pastel QAnon has migrated to alternative platforms.

6/ I have broken down these type of influencers in this community into four categories: 1) multi-level marketing, 2) Esoteric, 3) Alternative Healing, 4) Lifestyle Influencers. All of them united by the core QAnon belief that the world is controlled by evil pedophile elites

7/ Though QAnon has been heavily deplatformed off of mainstream social media platforms, Pastel QAnon is still striving on Instagram according to data provided via @crowdtangle. Most of the initial accounts I was monitoring survived the culling, and those who didn't are back.

8/We can see that the bulk of their followers followed these influencers in August and September at the height of save the children. With a small increase Following the insurrection and the deplatforming of QAnon accounts

9/ Though interaction rates did go up following January 6th, the interaction rate overall is on a downward trend. Though the community will react if the right incident of narrative appears, so the threat is not removed.

10/ Methodologically when researching this community it is important to note that most of their content is not publicized on their main feed but in their stories, highlights and IGTV.

11/ What this means is the followers who engage and consume their content regularly are the ones most likely to be influenced by them rather than a passive viewer. This also means that manual reviews and analysis of their pages and content is needed to discover these influencers

12/ I conclude the piece with a highlight that current platform policies do not reflect the potential threat and harm that can come from conspiracies and disinformation in these types of community. it is in these spaces where new radicalization pipelines may form.

13/ However, most of these individuals are not violent so how do you balance Freedom of Expression along side policing harmful content? Additionally it is important to rethink the role of platforms in this space beyond content removal and banning users.