Panic, pizza and mainstreaming the alt-right: A social media analysis of Pizzagate and the rise of the QAnon conspiracy
Bleakley, Paul 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2512-4072
(2023)
Panic, pizza and mainstreaming the alt-right: A social media analysis of Pizzagate and the rise of the QAnon conspiracy.
Current Sociology, 71
(3)
.
pp. 509-525.
ISSN 0011-3921
[Article]
(doi:10.1177/00113921211034896)
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Abstract
The conspiracy theory known as ‘Pizzagate’ gained a cult following on alt-right forums, ultimately prompting one believer to conduct a shooting on the pizzeria identified by online conspiracists. A thematic analysis of 767 tweets referencing Pizzagate selected from five key intervention points in this timeframe reveals several factors influencing Pizzagate’s continued appeal over a four-year period. The article examines how an online alt-right conspiracy collective, QAnon, weaponized Pizzagate as part of its overarching campaign to attract support for President Donald Trump and worked to establish the theory as a popular (albeit false) narrative within the contemporary political zeitgeist.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Sustainable Development Goals: | |
| Theme: | |
| Keywords (uncontrolled): | Alt-right, child sexual abuse, conspiracy, QAnon, social media, social movements, United States of America |
| Research Areas: | A. > School of Law > Criminology and Sociology |
| Item ID: | 37756 |
| Depositing User: | Jisc Publications Router |
| Date Deposited: | 04 Apr 2023 09:16 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Apr 2023 09:16 |
| URI: | https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/id/eprint/37756 |
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