Author: hanknooney

This post started as a comment on another user's post and kind of turned into its own thing. I would be interested to see if there’s a generational divide w/r/t the form of false news spread on the internet. In the 1990’s contemporary internet users spread chain e-mails warning readers of HIV needles hidden in … Continue reading The Evolution of Fake News in the Online Ecosystem

A Riot of Conspiracies: Pynchon’s Bleeding Edge and 9/11 Conspiracy Theories  “A Riot of Conspiracies” and its focus on the propagation of 9/11 conspiracy theories reminded me of Thomas Pynchon’s most recent novel, Bleeding Edge. Pynchon is an ideal chronicler of post-9/11 paranoia in many respects, as his work is generally focused on the network of technological and socio-political anxieties that underly conspiracy theories. As Jonathan Lethem describes … Continue reading A Riot of Conspiracies: Pynchon’s Bleeding Edge and 9/11 Conspiracy Theories

Alternate reality games have been criticized in the past as cynical, overelaborate marketing ploys, with their meticulously structured narratives only serving to advertise products. Blogger Annalee Newitz reacted against the then-burgeoning trend of ARGs in 2008, arguing that they amount to “walk-in commercials.” Newitz then questioned ARGs’ potential as games, claiming that “commercials can't really masquerade as games: It's foolish for entertainment companies to assume that they can get audiences to forget … Continue reading ARGs, Marketing, and Narrative

Our discussion on QAnon and its dissemination over social media and internet forums such as 4chan is representative of the uneasy relationship between conspiracy theory and activism. QAnon has been allowed to thrive a networked system that moves too quickly for mainstream media outlets or even alternative digital outlets to fully comprehend or meaningfully debunk. Kevin Deluca’s essay “Weibo, WeChat, and the Transformative Events of … Continue reading trendy post about coronavirus