One strategy they use is to take sides in existing debates. We paid attention to their debating techniques to understand the structure of their arguments and how they make them appear rational. In a recent study, my colleague Tomas Nilsson at Linnaeus University and I analysed hundreds of YouTube videos in which people argue that the Earth is flat. QAnon and the great replacement theory, for example, have proved deadly more than once.īy studying how flat Earthers talk about their beliefs, we can learn how they make their arguments engaging to their audience, and in turn, learn what makes disinformation spread online. Polling shows that there is an overlap between conspiracy theories, some of which can act as gateways for radicalisation.
While it is tempting to dismiss “flat Earthers” as mildly amusing, we ignore their arguments at our peril. Polls by YouGov America in 2018 and FDU in 2022 found that as many as 11% of Americans believe the Earth might be flat. Around the world, and against all scientific evidence, a segment of the population believes that Earth’s round shape is either an unproven theory or an elaborate hoax.
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