Skip to main content
DORAS
DCU Online Research Access Service
Login (DCU Staff Only)
Conspiracy, anxiety, ontology: theorising QAnon

Fitzgerald, James (2022) Conspiracy, anxiety, ontology: theorising QAnon. First Monday, 27 (5). ISSN 1396-0466

Full text available as:

[img]
Preview
PDF - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
1MB

Abstract

The rise of QAnon presents a number of important questions to researchers. While emerging literature provides insight into how QAnon exists online, there is a dearth of theoretical engagement with why QAnon exists and the conditions for its being. This paper seeks to address this gap by contextualising QAnon as an ontological phenomenon underpinned by anxiety and inquiring the identity formation strategies employed by the movement. Applying basic precepts of Discourse Theory and discourse analysis to a representative canon of QAnon content, it finds that like other formations of collective identity, QAnon is premised on interconnected dynamics of ontological fulfilment that cannot be explained away by pointing to ‘the algorithm’ or ‘madness’. Nor can it be effectively tackled by currently-employed strategies of content takedowns and de-platforming. The paper concludes with a call to explore more empathetic engagement with conspiracy adherents, arguing that until we (re)discover a more inclusive, agonistic politics, QAnon and other fantastical conspiracy movements will continue to arise and some may metastasise into violent action. New forms of resilience to (online) polarisation can be built on this principle.

Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:QAnon; Conspiracy; Ontology; Social Movements; COVID-19; Extremism; Discourse Theory; Discourse Analysis
Subjects:Social Sciences > Political science
Social Sciences > Social psychology
Social Sciences > Terrorism
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Science > School of Law and Government
Publisher:University of Illinois at Chicago Library
Official URL:https://dx.doi.org/10.5210/fm.v27i5.12618
Copyright Information:© 2022 The Author. Open Access (CC-BY 4.0)
ID Code:26731
Deposited On:03 May 2022 12:35 by James Fitzgerald . Last Modified 05 May 2022 08:40

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Archive Staff Only: edit this record

  • Student Email
  • Staff Email
  • Student Apps
  • Staff Apps
  • Loop
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us