Have you ever noticed what comes up when you type in a person’s name in Google search? If you search for well-known conspiracist David Icke the subtitle under his name is “Former Footballer.” What if you look up the name of other conspiracy theorists or those associated with right-wing extremism? What does the subtitle read? Well, our recently published article explains what is happening and the possible ramifications.
Month: March 2022
Christianity, The Convoy, and Donations
The Tyee reporter Christopher Cheung mapped out the donations received by the convoy via GiveSendGo, and found religious communities in BC were one of the largest donors to the movement. Religious language also appeared in the messaging left on the funding app.
Christian nationalism can play a role in such social or protest movements, but the strength of religious language and a belief in being on the side of good in the ultimate battle against evil can be a strong influence. When Christian beliefs overlap with belief in conspiracies, then the battle against a tyrannical evil cabal can take on ultimate meaning.
Russia Propaganda and the Convoy
As pro-Putin material floods the Freedom Convoy’s Telegram channels we have to be aware of our own sharing habits on social media. Although Telegram is a “free speech” or low-moderation platform, the material can be copied and shared on more mainstream sites such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. The onus is on each of us to ensure we check that the material we find on “bio-weapon” targets or other war information is from valid sources such as experts, scholars, government, or legacy media sources. We are all guilty of pressing share while scrolling through social media on our phones, take a moment before sharing and check the source, look for other sources, or don’t share.
Convoy Protesters, Conspiracy, and Russian Support
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine the Freedom Convoy Telegram channels became inundated with posts supporting Russia’s military actions, and Putin himself. It was a stark change, but one that was not surprising. Some of the convoy participants on Telegram are enmeshed with conspiracy theories, which see Putin as a potential ally to destroy the mechanisms for a New World Order to enslave the world’s population. Ideas of US owned bio-weapon facilities in Ukraine have become the targets for Putin’s missiles. Ultimately the conspiracy rich environment of the Convoy Telegram channels have become a conduit to conspiracy, Russian war propaganda
Pro-Putin Rhetoric in Convoy Telegram Channels
The last couple weeks we have witnessed an increase in pro-Putin posts in the Freedom Convoy Telegram channels. This could be predominately bots as we cannot argue these posts are sincerely from convoy supporters, what we can do is understand these posts within a conspiratorial worldview, which sees Putin as destroying Bio-Weapon facilities and human trafficking routes in Ukraine. This narrative supports both the QAnon and Great Reset conspiracies and develops the idea of Putin as a hero saving the world from a One World Government.
Social Media Responds to Russia’s Attack on Ukraine
Social media platforms such as Twitter has responded to Russia’s attack on Ukraine by banning Russian users. Simultaneously Apple Pay and Google Pay have halted service in Russia. These actions by technology companies reveals the dependency we have on global companies’ platforms in the modern age. Historically media has been used to shape discourse in war time efforts, both as propaganda machines and as a tool to attack the enemy, but often that media was shaped by the countries at war, not by their adversaries. 9Corporations have also been active in the war efforts, and we are seeing that play out as we all watch what feels like the beginning of WWIII, but this is the first time tech companies and social media companies have played a role and how will that affect their future responses to military conflict?