Trump and QAnon: The cult and the conspiracy
Donald Trump re-emerges with a political message laden with conspiracies – even an endorsement of the shady QAnon movement.
After being forced off mainstream social media, QAnon followers fled to the outer reaches of the internet and, since then, QAnon’s gamification of reality has morphed into more pragmatic goals – like electing certain politicians. Chief among them is Donald Trump, whose occasional flirtation with the movement has moved to more of an open embrace.
Contributors:
Mia Bloom – Professor of communication, Georgia State University
Alex Kaplan – Senior researcher, Media Matters for America
Kurt Eichenwald – Author and journalist
Julian Feeld – Host and producer, QAnon Anonymous podcast
On our radar:
In a televised speech this past week, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia is not ruling out the use of nuclear weapons to protect its people. Producer Johanna Hoes reports on how this threat is still reverberating overseas – and how it’s had consequences for the people and the pundits at home.
A Game Designer’s Analysis Of QAnon
Game designer Reed Berkowitz explores how the world of QAnon is similar to the ones he creates – in alternate reality games. His analysis explains how our flawed minds work, and how easily we can be dragged down the conspiratorial rabbit hole.
Contributor:
Reed Berkowitz – Game designer