In Episode 3, I described the early phases of conspirituality’s development as it moved from the offline conspiracist fringe to the internet. Web communities on Reddit and 4-chan were incubators for conspiracism but once Facebook’s popularity surged in 2008, groups of “skeptics” migrated there. Social media proliferated and expanded its reach over the next decade and platforms became more interconnected.
Topical and emotional issues were prioritized by the algorithms on popular sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Some were positive and inspirational, for example, a sense of connectivity fostered by the intensity of online friends; a sense that humanity is on the cusp of some kind of transformation. These themes developed in disparate groups who started to link through their discussions and meme sharing; gradually, the cultural distance between some conspiracists and wellness/spirituality groups diminished.
The transition between phase two and now, phase three, of conspirituality’s development was initiated through three interinteracting contingencies: 1) the pervasive social isolation beginning with the Covid lockdowns in March of 2020; 2) the spreading of the Q conspiracy theory propelled by social media algorithms; and 3) the monetization of online communities by social media “influencers.” These three trends accelerated the growth of conspirituality as a movement. The consociation of individuals drawn from both the conspiracist circles and the spirituality/wellness communities finally caught the attention of the mainstream media.
Take the case of “QAnon Karen,” profiled by Ben Collins of NBC News. Before she trashed the mask section of her local Target in a fit of screaming rage, Rein Lively (dubbed “Karen” by the media) was a basically normal person. Rein owned a small marketing company that was just starting to make it. Her work dried up during the lockdown and she started spending hours “doomscrolling,” finding her way to ever-more-extreme groups.
Users like Rein Lively who started off in wellness communities, religious groups and new-age groups on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram during the pandemic were then introduced to extremist groups like QAnon, aided by shared beliefs about energy, healing or God — and often by recommendation algorithms.
At first, Rein was interacting with folks who were discussing human potential, earth energy, and spiritual frequencies. It didn’t take long before Facebook directed her towards others who claimed that Donald Trump was a lightworker sent to effect a profound energy shift on earth. This line of crazy talk had been circulating in the deeper waters of Q. And now the streams were merging.
Rein Lively's example is an extreme version of what experts who study radicalization said has become a distinct pattern during the pandemic: People with time on their hands, looking for answers, are led down a radical path by niche interests and the internet's tendency to feed their darkest curiosities.
Rein fell down the rabbit hole because a deadly pandemic tipped her in. But the accelerating fall was aided by two factors pulling strongly: the algorithmic targeting of the social media companies, and the increasing power of social media influencers. They were part of the same force.
How to monetize your activity on the internet? This problem has been solved in a number of ways, and not to the benefit of society. Social media platforms embraced the advertising maxim of the 1970s: if you’re not paying for it, you are the product. In the 70s, consumers were bombarded with ads to watch “free” TV. But individuals’ privacy was not affected. That is not the case today. You see the Facebook ads; you don’t see the exchange of your personal information to Facebook’s advertisers. Your attention and your data are the product.
Even more pernicious, in my mind, is the rise of so-called “influencers.” When I first heard of them I thought, that’s a job? For clarity, let’s go to the dictionary. From Oxford Languages:
influencer
noun. a person or thing that influences another.
"he was a champion of the arts and a huge influencer of taste"
MARKETING
a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media.
A social media influencer is a person performing a marketing role. The influencer aims to monetize their online popularity in order to induce someone to buy whatever the influencer is being paid to promote. In the conspirituality world, social media influencers have significantly amplified propositions that are both individually and socially harmful. We will have many more QAnon Karens. For profit, if not for fun.
If you missed Episode 1, it’s here.
If you missed Episode 2, it’s here.
If you missed Episode 3, it’s here.
Notes:
Jessica Camille Aguirre, QAnon Just Keeps Making Inroads into New Age Wellness Circles
Stephanie Alice Baker, Alt. Health Influencers
Ali Breland, Wellness Influencers are Spreading QAnon Conspiracies
Ben Collins, How QAnon Rode the Pandemic to New Heights
David Kelleher, If it’s free, you’re probably the product.
Eva Wiseman, The Dark Side of Wellness