QAnon: The Calm Before the Storm

Hodwitz, O (通讯作者),Univ Idaho, Dept Culture Soc & Justice, Moscow, ID 83843 USA.
2022-12
QAnon, a group of conspiracy theorists dedicated to the overthrow of the deep state and the facilitation of the rapture, has been growing in strength and prominence since its inception in 2017. Originally started as an anonymous post on a message board, the collective has increased in membership, geographic footprint, and ideological reach. QAnon initiates have also expanded their repertoire of tactics, evolving from online chatter to rallies and, finally, to violent attacks, leading law enforcement to opine that the group may incite incidents of domestic terrorism. Although this outcome is possible, predictions of this kind have less merit unless supported by systematic analysis of the evidence. This essay attempts to address this need by providing an empirically grounded prediction of the future of QAnon. Specifically, it summarizes the results of comparative case analyses, which consists of examining groups and collectives that are comparable to QAnon on key factors and applying their trajectories to QAnon. Case comparisons indicate that QAnon may continue to grow in membership size and regional presence. In addition, QAnon members may persist in their use of violence, leading to an increase in the number and severity of their attacks.
SOCIETY
卷号:59|期号:6|页码:660-671
ISSN:0147-2011|收录类别:SSCI
语种
英语
来源机构
Idaho; University of Idaho; Simon Fraser University
被引频次(WOS)
0
被引频次(其他)
0
180天使用计数
2
2013以来使用计数
6
EISSN
1936-4725
出版年
2022-12
DOI
10.1007/s12115-022-00688-x
关键词
QAnon New religious movement Terrorism Violence Comparative case analysis
WOS学科分类
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary Sociology
学科领域
循证社会科学-综合 循证社会学