APSA & ICA PolComm Divisions
Rachel E. Moran & Stephen Prochaska’s “Misinformation or activism?" illustrates how the SaveTheChildren hashtag became a focal point for a QAnon-linked, conspiracy theory-driven movement on Instagram. The authors use the concept of “networked moral panic” to understand how “seemingly disparate groups of people” (13) mobilized around an issue invoking highly affective responses.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/citedby/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2146986
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Citations: Misinformation or activism?: analyzing networked moral panic through an exploration of #SaveTheChildren

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Mar 10, 2023 at 10:04amWeb
Show threadAPSA & ICA PolComm DivisionsMar 10, 2023
The concept refers to “the spreading of exaggerated fear around a social problem across networked communications platforms that serves not to solve a legitimate problem but to cement the power of a threatened group” (17). The article thereby combines social movement theory with a focus on digital connectivity and network affordances, stressing how crucial Instagram’s infrastructure was to fostering these dynamics.
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