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The Other Pandemic: How QAnon Contaminated the World
Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist James Ball takes us into the depths of the internet to trace the origins and rapid ascent of QAnon, the movement that mutated from a niche online conspiracy theory into the world's first digital pandemic.
Imagine a deadly pathogen that, once created, could infect any person in any part of the globe within seconds. No need to wait for travellers, trains, or air traffic to spread it, all you need is an internet connection. In this gripping investigation, Pulitzer Prize winner James Ball decodes the cryptic language of the online right and with a surgeon's precision tracks the spread of QAnon, the world's first digital pandemic.
QAnon began as an internet community dedicated to supporting President Trump and intent on outing a global cabal of human traffickers. A short, cryptic message posted by an anonymous user to a niche internet forum in 2017 was the spark that ignited a global movement. What started as a macabre game of virtual make-believe quickly spiralled into the spread of virulently hateful, dangerous messaging – which turned into tragic, violent actions.
Incoherent, chaotic, free from QAnon is a one-size-fits all cult conspiracy. From a standoff at the Hoover Dam, to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on 6 January 2021, to protesting COVID-19 lockdowns, this digital pandemic has spread globally and shows no signs of stopping. In The Other Pandemic Ball takes us into the niche pathways through which these digital pathogens spread, mutate and infect people all across the globe – but he also argues that the prognosis doesn't have to be dire. He shows us that it is possible to treat and cure this virus in order to build up our digital immune systems, and be better prepared to survive the next wave.
*A Financial Times Book to Read in 2023*
Imagine a deadly pathogen that, once created, could infect any person in any part of the globe within seconds. No need to wait for travellers, trains, or air traffic to spread it, all you need is an internet connection. In this gripping investigation, Pulitzer Prize winner James Ball decodes the cryptic language of the online right and with a surgeon's precision tracks the spread of QAnon, the world's first digital pandemic.
QAnon began as an internet community dedicated to supporting President Trump and intent on outing a global cabal of human traffickers. A short, cryptic message posted by an anonymous user to a niche internet forum in 2017 was the spark that ignited a global movement. What started as a macabre game of virtual make-believe quickly spiralled into the spread of virulently hateful, dangerous messaging – which turned into tragic, violent actions.
Incoherent, chaotic, free from QAnon is a one-size-fits all cult conspiracy. From a standoff at the Hoover Dam, to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on 6 January 2021, to protesting COVID-19 lockdowns, this digital pandemic has spread globally and shows no signs of stopping. In The Other Pandemic Ball takes us into the niche pathways through which these digital pathogens spread, mutate and infect people all across the globe – but he also argues that the prognosis doesn't have to be dire. He shows us that it is possible to treat and cure this virus in order to build up our digital immune systems, and be better prepared to survive the next wave.
*A Financial Times Book to Read in 2023*
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 20, 2023
About the author
James Ball
51 books8 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
James Ball, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral, has been in the autism field for over 20 years providing educational, residential, and employment services to children and adults affected by autism. Dr. Ball is the President/CEO of JB Autism Consulting. He is also the Director of Clinical Services for New York Families of Autistic Children, Inc. (NYFAC), a private not-for-profit organization providing support and training for children and families. He provides private consultation to organizations, schools, and families regarding staff training, parent training, home support services, classroom design/support, and behavior management/assessment.
Dr. Ball is also a member of Autism New Jersey, formally known as the New Jersey COSAC, Board of Trustees, and Professional Advisory Board, and also sits on the advisory board for Autism Asperger’s Digest magazine. A member of the Autism Society Board of Directors. Dr. Ball has lectured nationally and internationally on various topics such as early intervention, inclusion services, functional behavior assessment, social skills training, behavior management, direct instruction, sensory issues, and accountability. He has published in many of the above areas and authored the breakthrough award- winning book Early Intervention and Autism: Real-life Questions, Real-life Answers. Dr. Ball has won numerous awards including: NYFAC’s Autism Inspiration Award, the Autism Society’s Publication Award, and the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor of Autism New Jersey.
James Ball, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral, has been in the autism field for over 20 years providing educational, residential, and employment services to children and adults affected by autism. Dr. Ball is the President/CEO of JB Autism Consulting. He is also the Director of Clinical Services for New York Families of Autistic Children, Inc. (NYFAC), a private not-for-profit organization providing support and training for children and families. He provides private consultation to organizations, schools, and families regarding staff training, parent training, home support services, classroom design/support, and behavior management/assessment.
Dr. Ball is also a member of Autism New Jersey, formally known as the New Jersey COSAC, Board of Trustees, and Professional Advisory Board, and also sits on the advisory board for Autism Asperger’s Digest magazine. A member of the Autism Society Board of Directors. Dr. Ball has lectured nationally and internationally on various topics such as early intervention, inclusion services, functional behavior assessment, social skills training, behavior management, direct instruction, sensory issues, and accountability. He has published in many of the above areas and authored the breakthrough award- winning book Early Intervention and Autism: Real-life Questions, Real-life Answers. Dr. Ball has won numerous awards including: NYFAC’s Autism Inspiration Award, the Autism Society’s Publication Award, and the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor of Autism New Jersey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
October 9, 2023
From out of the dank unregarded thickets of the internet it came, from the giggling hyperactive mischievous brains of highly techliterate 15 year old boys who were making stuff up on 4chan which was a place of great unseemliness, not that I would know; they knew they weren’t being serious – well, not serious-serious - they weren’t serious about anything. I mean – there was no vast conspiratorial cabal in charge of everything, but it was such fun to pretend there was, and hey you know, maybe, I’m not saying it is, but maybe it’s true, who knows, not me for sure, but saying all this stuff seems to annoy the very people we love to annoy, it’s the elaborate internet version of ringing an old fart’s doorbell and running down the road. But the thing is, when this laughing gas escaped from its 4chan/8chan messageboards of icky sickness (many rape jokes, apparently), what do you know, people on facebook started taking some of it literally. And then Fox News! Now it really got funny! We couldn’t believe it! Let’s make some other wild shit up!
And they found that they could not make up shit that was too wild for people to believe.
Because people believe anything! Anything!
Not quite core to the conspiracy, but widely believed, was that the cabal was heavily involved in large-scale child abuse, quite probably for satanic or other ritual purposes
Leading to the stroke of genius that goes by the name of Pizzagate. You like that one? What about this:
Marjorie Taylor Greene [Representative for the 14th district of Georgia] in 2018 wrote that Californian wildfires had been deliberately started by a “Jewish space laser”
Yeah, throw that one onto the pile along with 5G and anti-vaxxing. It’s all true you know. They never went to the moon! You know why? There isn’t a moon!
IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN
So this QAnon thing – it is the very definition of Anarchy. It’s a movement with no leaders, no fixed beliefs, no holy scriptures, it booms along and bits fall off it very frequently – like when a prediction that Trump will be reinstated doesn’t happen – yeah, didn’t happen, so what, we’re now waiting for the reappearance of John F Kennedy Jr – I know, the MSM say he died in 1999 but he didn’t and he’s back and he’s one of us – and anyway we’re all now busy doing research into the connection between Anthony Fauci and the Wuhan laboratory that deliberately started the plandemic – wait, maybe that was Hunter Biden… or Hillary Clinton – hold on, aren’t they the same person? My head hurts, I can’t keep all this straight. I need to lie down.
But no time to weaken, you have to be online 25 hours a day or you’re gonna miss the next livestreamed massacre courtesy one of your little QAnon pixies (3 QAnon-related mass shootings in 2019 including the Christchurch mosque attack). Because although the whole thing started as a lot of crazy humour, when the racists and nazis joined the party it wasn’t that funny anymore.
James Ball is a great guide through all this madness. Without overburdening us outsiders (who’ve never before heard of MyPillow or LARPing or Frazzledrip and only barely heard of gamergate and The Great Reset with too much detail -but there will still be too many obscure names and acronyms for some, it just cannot be avoided-) he pulls together and makes sense – in a way, in a way – of the means and methods of this amorphous nightmarish alternate-reality choose-your-own-plot do-your-own-research world we now inhabit.
He says stuff like
The idea that there’s an elite running the show is something almost all of us believe to some extent – not least because it’s at least partly true
He says that the MSM response to this farrago of poisonous fantasy is debunking and fact checking and is a total non-starter because there is no debunking or fact-checking these people, they are immune, you can’t prove a negative and with QAnon types there is no proof you could give them that they would believe.
As an example, take the #SavetheChildren campaign, a QAnon offshoot.
The statistic bandied about by QAnon and QAnon-adjacent influencers is that “365,348 children went missing in 2020” as QAnon congresswoman Lauren Boebert once tweeted, citing the stat to the FBI. “You haven’t heard a word from the media about it.”
JB says – this number is accurate! Yes! But it actually refers to the number of missing person reports about children for the total year, not the number who are actually missing.
Considerably more than 99% of missing children in the US are found alive and even in the most high-risk category – abduction by strangers or by a family member with an outstanding felony warrant – 97% of children are recovered alive.
I think Lauren Boebert would probably wave away those stats as fake news. Even though they are from the same source that she uses.
JB says
So embedded are QAnon’s ideas in the conspiratorial corners of the internet that there are now hundreds of thousands or people who subscribe, at least in part, to QAnon without ever having heard of Q or QAnon itself.
He says
In the US, a poll taken by YouGov as early as May 2020 found that 44% of Republican voters believed Bill Gates was plotting to use Covid-19 as a pretext to plant tracking microchips in billions of people around the world.
He explains how the wild ‘n’ crazy turbulence of Trump AND Covid rebooted the whole mania, and he pulls in, of course, the QAnon low-point culmination on 6 January 2021. Actually to discuss this whole giant QAnon conspiracy thing you have to rant on about so many loony things you get to start sounding as mad as the people who believe it!
THREE THINGS (OF SO MANY) I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND
I didn’t get where the obsession with Hillary Clinton came from.
I don’t understand that if the deep state stole the election why they won’t steal the next one too, so what might be the point of Trump running in 2024? He will lose, the deep state will see to it.
I still didn’t understand quite how the conspiracy believing MSM hating red pill eaters think our lives and our countries work. Because if there is a giant elite running everything, then democracy is a sham, justice is a sham, all those fine words mean nothing. Doesn’t matter which party wins an election, the elite will be pulling all the strings. They will continue to inject us all with vaccines to turn us into zombies or radiate us with 5G to turn us into… zombies… or zap us with a space laser to turn us into… zombies. How come they haven’t done all this already? I don’t understand. Oh boy, actually I don’t understand any of this.
Recommended for masochists who enjoy feeling their brain melting.
And they found that they could not make up shit that was too wild for people to believe.
Because people believe anything! Anything!
Not quite core to the conspiracy, but widely believed, was that the cabal was heavily involved in large-scale child abuse, quite probably for satanic or other ritual purposes
Leading to the stroke of genius that goes by the name of Pizzagate. You like that one? What about this:
Marjorie Taylor Greene [Representative for the 14th district of Georgia] in 2018 wrote that Californian wildfires had been deliberately started by a “Jewish space laser”
Yeah, throw that one onto the pile along with 5G and anti-vaxxing. It’s all true you know. They never went to the moon! You know why? There isn’t a moon!
IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN
So this QAnon thing – it is the very definition of Anarchy. It’s a movement with no leaders, no fixed beliefs, no holy scriptures, it booms along and bits fall off it very frequently – like when a prediction that Trump will be reinstated doesn’t happen – yeah, didn’t happen, so what, we’re now waiting for the reappearance of John F Kennedy Jr – I know, the MSM say he died in 1999 but he didn’t and he’s back and he’s one of us – and anyway we’re all now busy doing research into the connection between Anthony Fauci and the Wuhan laboratory that deliberately started the plandemic – wait, maybe that was Hunter Biden… or Hillary Clinton – hold on, aren’t they the same person? My head hurts, I can’t keep all this straight. I need to lie down.
But no time to weaken, you have to be online 25 hours a day or you’re gonna miss the next livestreamed massacre courtesy one of your little QAnon pixies (3 QAnon-related mass shootings in 2019 including the Christchurch mosque attack). Because although the whole thing started as a lot of crazy humour, when the racists and nazis joined the party it wasn’t that funny anymore.
James Ball is a great guide through all this madness. Without overburdening us outsiders (who’ve never before heard of MyPillow or LARPing or Frazzledrip and only barely heard of gamergate and The Great Reset with too much detail -but there will still be too many obscure names and acronyms for some, it just cannot be avoided-) he pulls together and makes sense – in a way, in a way – of the means and methods of this amorphous nightmarish alternate-reality choose-your-own-plot do-your-own-research world we now inhabit.
He says stuff like
The idea that there’s an elite running the show is something almost all of us believe to some extent – not least because it’s at least partly true
He says that the MSM response to this farrago of poisonous fantasy is debunking and fact checking and is a total non-starter because there is no debunking or fact-checking these people, they are immune, you can’t prove a negative and with QAnon types there is no proof you could give them that they would believe.
As an example, take the #SavetheChildren campaign, a QAnon offshoot.
The statistic bandied about by QAnon and QAnon-adjacent influencers is that “365,348 children went missing in 2020” as QAnon congresswoman Lauren Boebert once tweeted, citing the stat to the FBI. “You haven’t heard a word from the media about it.”
JB says – this number is accurate! Yes! But it actually refers to the number of missing person reports about children for the total year, not the number who are actually missing.
Considerably more than 99% of missing children in the US are found alive and even in the most high-risk category – abduction by strangers or by a family member with an outstanding felony warrant – 97% of children are recovered alive.
I think Lauren Boebert would probably wave away those stats as fake news. Even though they are from the same source that she uses.
JB says
So embedded are QAnon’s ideas in the conspiratorial corners of the internet that there are now hundreds of thousands or people who subscribe, at least in part, to QAnon without ever having heard of Q or QAnon itself.
He says
In the US, a poll taken by YouGov as early as May 2020 found that 44% of Republican voters believed Bill Gates was plotting to use Covid-19 as a pretext to plant tracking microchips in billions of people around the world.
He explains how the wild ‘n’ crazy turbulence of Trump AND Covid rebooted the whole mania, and he pulls in, of course, the QAnon low-point culmination on 6 January 2021. Actually to discuss this whole giant QAnon conspiracy thing you have to rant on about so many loony things you get to start sounding as mad as the people who believe it!
THREE THINGS (OF SO MANY) I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND
I didn’t get where the obsession with Hillary Clinton came from.
I don’t understand that if the deep state stole the election why they won’t steal the next one too, so what might be the point of Trump running in 2024? He will lose, the deep state will see to it.
I still didn’t understand quite how the conspiracy believing MSM hating red pill eaters think our lives and our countries work. Because if there is a giant elite running everything, then democracy is a sham, justice is a sham, all those fine words mean nothing. Doesn’t matter which party wins an election, the elite will be pulling all the strings. They will continue to inject us all with vaccines to turn us into zombies or radiate us with 5G to turn us into… zombies… or zap us with a space laser to turn us into… zombies. How come they haven’t done all this already? I don’t understand. Oh boy, actually I don’t understand any of this.
Recommended for masochists who enjoy feeling their brain melting.
August 12, 2023
The Other Pandemic: How QAnon Contaminated the World by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James Ball is a fascinating, meticulously researched journey into the bowels of the internet in an effort to explain how the QAnon movement went from a niche tangle of conspiracy theories to what Ball calls 'the first digital pandemic.'
Ball's book is incredibly detailed. He assumes many readers will have very little prior knowledge about QAnon and is careful to explain all the key concepts one needs to understand in order to wrap one's head around how the movement exploded - from the origins of the 4chan forum where 'Q' first materialised to the way social media algorithms work to allow conspiracy theories to metastasise. He takes a deep dive into the history of blood libel, one of world's longest-standing conspiracy theories, and unpacks how it mutated and evolved to become #pizzagate and #savethechildren thanks to the emergence of the internet.
Interestingly, the author was himself an active member of the 4chan site as a teenager and young adult, making him uniquely placed to offer insight on its content and community, and how it evolved from a 'fast-moving, nihilistic place that's all about 'the lulz'' to something far more sinister. I was intrigued to learn how this offshoot of 00s 'lad culture' (4chan originated rickrolling and lolcats and was initially known for mass trolling through annoying and immature - but essentially harmless - pranks) came to be inextricably linked to real-life violence, injury and death, and Ball adeptly illustrates how its evolution helps us to track the shifting social and political landscape, in the United States but also elsewhere.
Ball explores the ways in which mainstream media, social media and governments have contributed to QAnon ideas being allowed to flourish unchecked and gain wider appeal, by underestimating the popular appeal of what - to many - were totally wild ideas, for example, that not only was the world being run by a cabal of elites embroiled in child sexual exploitation but that Donald Trump was masterminding a counter movement.
He offers a thoughtful, considered explanation for why QAnon took hold in the way that it did at a particular moment in history: Q first posted on 4chan in the first year of Trump's presidency, a time when disillusionment with the status quo had driven many Americans to vote for a man whom they viewed as the anti-establishment candidate, and the QAnon movement really took hold globally during the Covid-19 pandemic. Particularly thought-provoking is the idea that, for many QAnon stalwarts, the thing that unites them is a feeling of isolation from society; thus, it makes a lot of sense that during prolonged periods of government-enforced isolation during lockdown, the desire for community and being understood would be heightened.
The book explores how QAnon tapped into popular anti-government sentiment and evolved its agenda, which has always been fluid, to react to popular ideas. By using the language of a pandemic, something we are all too familiar with at this point, Ball is able to stress how contagious and dangerous fringe ideas can be thanks to the internet allowing people to find others who agree with - or are open to - what they are saying.
As the book progresses, some ideas - such as cognitive dissonance - are explained more than once, and some information and anecdotes are repeated. The book is also incredibly (though unavoidably) dense, and the ideas it is explaining are often so convoluted and preposterous that it can make for difficult reading. However, overall it is a comprehensive, compelling look at the origins of QAnon and its corrosive effect on society.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.
Ball's book is incredibly detailed. He assumes many readers will have very little prior knowledge about QAnon and is careful to explain all the key concepts one needs to understand in order to wrap one's head around how the movement exploded - from the origins of the 4chan forum where 'Q' first materialised to the way social media algorithms work to allow conspiracy theories to metastasise. He takes a deep dive into the history of blood libel, one of world's longest-standing conspiracy theories, and unpacks how it mutated and evolved to become #pizzagate and #savethechildren thanks to the emergence of the internet.
Interestingly, the author was himself an active member of the 4chan site as a teenager and young adult, making him uniquely placed to offer insight on its content and community, and how it evolved from a 'fast-moving, nihilistic place that's all about 'the lulz'' to something far more sinister. I was intrigued to learn how this offshoot of 00s 'lad culture' (4chan originated rickrolling and lolcats and was initially known for mass trolling through annoying and immature - but essentially harmless - pranks) came to be inextricably linked to real-life violence, injury and death, and Ball adeptly illustrates how its evolution helps us to track the shifting social and political landscape, in the United States but also elsewhere.
Ball explores the ways in which mainstream media, social media and governments have contributed to QAnon ideas being allowed to flourish unchecked and gain wider appeal, by underestimating the popular appeal of what - to many - were totally wild ideas, for example, that not only was the world being run by a cabal of elites embroiled in child sexual exploitation but that Donald Trump was masterminding a counter movement.
He offers a thoughtful, considered explanation for why QAnon took hold in the way that it did at a particular moment in history: Q first posted on 4chan in the first year of Trump's presidency, a time when disillusionment with the status quo had driven many Americans to vote for a man whom they viewed as the anti-establishment candidate, and the QAnon movement really took hold globally during the Covid-19 pandemic. Particularly thought-provoking is the idea that, for many QAnon stalwarts, the thing that unites them is a feeling of isolation from society; thus, it makes a lot of sense that during prolonged periods of government-enforced isolation during lockdown, the desire for community and being understood would be heightened.
The book explores how QAnon tapped into popular anti-government sentiment and evolved its agenda, which has always been fluid, to react to popular ideas. By using the language of a pandemic, something we are all too familiar with at this point, Ball is able to stress how contagious and dangerous fringe ideas can be thanks to the internet allowing people to find others who agree with - or are open to - what they are saying.
As the book progresses, some ideas - such as cognitive dissonance - are explained more than once, and some information and anecdotes are repeated. The book is also incredibly (though unavoidably) dense, and the ideas it is explaining are often so convoluted and preposterous that it can make for difficult reading. However, overall it is a comprehensive, compelling look at the origins of QAnon and its corrosive effect on society.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.
June 18, 2024
james ball lore goes insanely hard
July 19, 2023
I was excited for this book as I wanted to know more about Q Anon and how it came to be, and reading case studies. However, what I got was a book that talked about a tonne of other things that are not directly related to Anon. There was a lot of talk about other topics, and politics, and even a case study from the 1950s. I expected more cases and stats related to Q Anon. It was not the book I was hoping for, some parts are interesting, but I did end up skim reading it just to finish it.
July 3, 2023
This book was fascinating and quite terrifying in equal parts! The discussion over the rise of internet communities and Qanon in particular were interesting and how rapidly information, both false and true is spread globally was quite sobering. It can certainly feel increasingly difficult to differentiate between fake news and reality at times, especially when reality can be very bizarre!
The closer to present day issues the writer became, the more uncomfortable the reading, and although he gave various ways of trying to counter the more extreme views - framing and personalising issues- I was still left feeling quite powerless (obviously not the fault of the author!)
The "other pandemic" is a huge topic to which Mr Ball manages to give some cohesion in a readable way
Thank you to netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advance copy of this book.
The closer to present day issues the writer became, the more uncomfortable the reading, and although he gave various ways of trying to counter the more extreme views - framing and personalising issues- I was still left feeling quite powerless (obviously not the fault of the author!)
The "other pandemic" is a huge topic to which Mr Ball manages to give some cohesion in a readable way
Thank you to netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advance copy of this book.
July 12, 2024
▪️
We share this planet with human creatures whose views and opinions are often so far removed from our own that just occasionally I feel a need to try and understand them.
This book was a spontaneous purchase in a favourite bookshop of mine, Sam Read in Grasmere.
It
Got lost in the last third which felt a bit waffling or perhaps my interest had just waned.
Don’t feel I understand those individuals who fall down rabbit holes of dangerous conspiracy theories propagated by the online right any better.
I am even left wondering if they have caught a contagion that they are not completely responsible for and whether they require some sympathy rather than outright condemnation. But their views and actions remain quite disturbing.
Interesting, in parts, but didn’t love it.
2.5 stars.
▪️▪️▪️
July 27, 2023
3.5 rounded up
Informative, great anecdotes
Informative, great anecdotes
March 20, 2024
Superb journalism. A very interesting read about the origins and progression of QAnon, and what we might consider watching out for in its future evolution.
July 11, 2024
Brilliant book on disinformation. Considers qanon as a digital pathogen which spread through online ecologies.
December 4, 2023
Five stars for lifting head above the parapet to take on this topic and the on-line abuse that it will inevitably attract. Four stars for research and content. But it didn't really engage me and I didn't enjoy it. A bit too techy and... scary. I'd imagined a relatively light-hearted dig at gullible - dare I say - mostly Americans, but I was struck by how international, all-pervasive, serious and in an increasing number of cases, violent this is becoming.
March 10, 2024
Intensely basic reporting, seems to have been written in a rush to be the first big book on Qanon
March 26, 2024
A gripping scary and timely tome that suggests we see the QAnon conspiracy cult as a literal virus albeit one in digital form that has infected humans as its host and that needs to be tackled in multiple ways just like biological viruses. Recommended and thought-provoking.
July 24, 2024
Which risk arising from technology is potentially the most dangerous yet least understood? Arguably, it's something that is evolving virulently outside human design or planning, for which we currently have no good antidote. Namely, digital pandemics of irrationality, like QAnon.
That's one takeaway from the riveting book by James Ball, "The Other Pandemic: How QAnon Contaminated the World". Digital viruses, like biological ones, aren't (of course) themselves sentient, but rapidly mutate, with the most "successful" variants spreading widely.
The book deftly shows the connections between many of the worst manifestations of human irrationality of the last few years. I had varying degrees of awareness of these connections before, but this narrative highlights many important details that I previously didn't appreciate.
When reading some of these incidents, you'll likely think "How could these people be so stupid?" At other times, your thought may be "How could these people be so evil?" or "so mentally ill". You'll also realise how deeply dangerous a conspiratorial digital pandemic can become.
The individual episodes of infection and irrationality are well told, with some sympathy for the people who fell foul of a digital pandemic (like we usually show sympathy to people who succumb to a biological disease). But it's the book's theoretical analysis that's particularly strong.
The book draws upon the original meaning of "meme", which I first encountered in the late 1970s in the book by Richard Dawkins, "The Selfish Gene". Given the complex ecosystem of the Internet, with its many dark corners and evolutionary pressures, ideas quickly mutate into versions that can persist.
All this happens without any conscious mastermind pulling the strings from behind the scenes. So the various people who acted as "Q" from time to time have no real control over how QAnon continues to fragment and recombine, invading new "hosts".
This gives new meaning to the phrase "zombie apocalypse". It also gives new meaning to the idea that humanity may be outdone by a digital intelligence that escapes our understanding and control. Except that, in this scenario, the intelligence is distributed and simple-minded.
The book also draws on another important theme that has (again) intrigued me since the late 1970s, namely the idea of cognitive dissonance, and the ways in which cultic belief systems can frequently bounce back from massive failures of their own prophecies.
All this leads to some uncomfortable conclusions. First, the methods of "giving enough information" and "teaching critical thinking" are of little use, to someone who is already deeply infected with a digital pathogen. (But they can help prevent new people from being infected.)
Indeed, the numerous visible failures of QAnon prophecy, along with the failed prophecies of related conspiratorial movements like virulent anti-vaxxers or near-hysterical "save the children" would-be crusaders, have done little to dampen down the associated social irrationality.
As the book emphasises, most journalists, along with most academics, were too quick to imagine that QAnon would die after the events of November 2020 and January 2021. But, if anything, the irrationality has surged since then.
The one group of people who were not surprised by the ongoing vitality of the digital pathogen were some of the heroes of this book, namely (wait for it...) sociologists, who have long studied how cultic movements often persist despite apparent failures.
There is no simple solution to the increasing threat posed by digital pathogens. The book outlines a three-pronged solution. The most important of these is to address the underlying conditions in which people are so susceptible to mental infection by conspiratorial ideas.
These underlying conditions involve a widespread lack of trust. Lack of trust in authority, lack of trust in expert opinions, lack of trust in mainstream media, lack of trust in the operation of the markets, lack of trust in political leaders.
That distrust predisposes people to latch on to apparent revelations of suppressed knowledge, and to find fellowship in a new online community where they can imagine themselves to have a new purpose in their lives, at the vanguard of a forthcoming revolution of ideas and power.
Accordingly, we should expect new outbreaks of conspiratorial digital pathogens, and associated real-world outrages, unless society regains trust in itself. People must see, and believe, that there's a sufficient abundance at hand, from which everyone can benefit, fairly.
But in the meantime, there's lots of key measures that media companies (online and offline) can take, to deal with emerging new pathogens (or new variants) as quickly and decisively as possible. If we fail to do that, we shouldn't be surprised if catastrophic new outrages occur.
And, critically, we all need to take much more seriously the threat posed to humanity's future wellbeing if we fail to pay sufficient attention to the dangers posed by conspiratorial digital pandemics.
PS I'm glad to have featured a new configuration of QAnon in my own narrative, written a few months ago, about possible futures: "Dateline: 1st January 2036". Some reviewers have suggested that part of my narrative is too fantastic, but I stand my ground. https://dw2blog.com/2024/06/09/dateli...
That's one takeaway from the riveting book by James Ball, "The Other Pandemic: How QAnon Contaminated the World". Digital viruses, like biological ones, aren't (of course) themselves sentient, but rapidly mutate, with the most "successful" variants spreading widely.
The book deftly shows the connections between many of the worst manifestations of human irrationality of the last few years. I had varying degrees of awareness of these connections before, but this narrative highlights many important details that I previously didn't appreciate.
When reading some of these incidents, you'll likely think "How could these people be so stupid?" At other times, your thought may be "How could these people be so evil?" or "so mentally ill". You'll also realise how deeply dangerous a conspiratorial digital pandemic can become.
The individual episodes of infection and irrationality are well told, with some sympathy for the people who fell foul of a digital pandemic (like we usually show sympathy to people who succumb to a biological disease). But it's the book's theoretical analysis that's particularly strong.
The book draws upon the original meaning of "meme", which I first encountered in the late 1970s in the book by Richard Dawkins, "The Selfish Gene". Given the complex ecosystem of the Internet, with its many dark corners and evolutionary pressures, ideas quickly mutate into versions that can persist.
All this happens without any conscious mastermind pulling the strings from behind the scenes. So the various people who acted as "Q" from time to time have no real control over how QAnon continues to fragment and recombine, invading new "hosts".
This gives new meaning to the phrase "zombie apocalypse". It also gives new meaning to the idea that humanity may be outdone by a digital intelligence that escapes our understanding and control. Except that, in this scenario, the intelligence is distributed and simple-minded.
The book also draws on another important theme that has (again) intrigued me since the late 1970s, namely the idea of cognitive dissonance, and the ways in which cultic belief systems can frequently bounce back from massive failures of their own prophecies.
All this leads to some uncomfortable conclusions. First, the methods of "giving enough information" and "teaching critical thinking" are of little use, to someone who is already deeply infected with a digital pathogen. (But they can help prevent new people from being infected.)
Indeed, the numerous visible failures of QAnon prophecy, along with the failed prophecies of related conspiratorial movements like virulent anti-vaxxers or near-hysterical "save the children" would-be crusaders, have done little to dampen down the associated social irrationality.
As the book emphasises, most journalists, along with most academics, were too quick to imagine that QAnon would die after the events of November 2020 and January 2021. But, if anything, the irrationality has surged since then.
The one group of people who were not surprised by the ongoing vitality of the digital pathogen were some of the heroes of this book, namely (wait for it...) sociologists, who have long studied how cultic movements often persist despite apparent failures.
There is no simple solution to the increasing threat posed by digital pathogens. The book outlines a three-pronged solution. The most important of these is to address the underlying conditions in which people are so susceptible to mental infection by conspiratorial ideas.
These underlying conditions involve a widespread lack of trust. Lack of trust in authority, lack of trust in expert opinions, lack of trust in mainstream media, lack of trust in the operation of the markets, lack of trust in political leaders.
That distrust predisposes people to latch on to apparent revelations of suppressed knowledge, and to find fellowship in a new online community where they can imagine themselves to have a new purpose in their lives, at the vanguard of a forthcoming revolution of ideas and power.
Accordingly, we should expect new outbreaks of conspiratorial digital pathogens, and associated real-world outrages, unless society regains trust in itself. People must see, and believe, that there's a sufficient abundance at hand, from which everyone can benefit, fairly.
But in the meantime, there's lots of key measures that media companies (online and offline) can take, to deal with emerging new pathogens (or new variants) as quickly and decisively as possible. If we fail to do that, we shouldn't be surprised if catastrophic new outrages occur.
And, critically, we all need to take much more seriously the threat posed to humanity's future wellbeing if we fail to pay sufficient attention to the dangers posed by conspiratorial digital pandemics.
PS I'm glad to have featured a new configuration of QAnon in my own narrative, written a few months ago, about possible futures: "Dateline: 1st January 2036". Some reviewers have suggested that part of my narrative is too fantastic, but I stand my ground. https://dw2blog.com/2024/06/09/dateli...
August 20, 2023
Authors often research a topic more or less from scratch before embarking on a book but James Ball sounds like he has spent most of his life on the periphery of or investigating QAnon, so he is very well placed to explain how it started and how it spread.
I listened to British journalist Nicky Woolf's Podcast Finding Q on Audible and it more or less identified who was behind the "Q" drops that first appeared on 4- and then 8-chan. Ball explains the jokiness of these "chans" quite well, it's hard to read them if you don't immerse yourself in them. It sounds like Q was started as a prank by two people who never had any knowledge of the intelligence community, and just passed off enough vague predictions that some of them came true. Once Woolf (fairly easily it has to be said) found who they were Q stopped posting. But the movement he/they started went on.
Ball likens Q to a pandemic in that it started with a single case and spread across the world. Like a pandemic, and unlike most cults, nobody is in charge, and there is no leader. Nobody orchestrates what QAnon is, people are encouraged to Do Your Own research (DYOR) to effectively pick and choose the bits that suit them.
At the core of QAnon is a belief that there is a secret cabal of "deep state" actors, including Hilary Clinton and various other prominent democrats, celebrities, and other international leaders, who are engaged in a global conspiracy. Many of them are Jewish. This requires the deliberate sacrifice of children to sustain it in a paedophile ring. Sounds laughable, but a large percentage of Americans believe at least part of it, and it has spread to other countries as well. Donald Trump is happy to play along with the idea that he is fighting the (non-existent) cabal, and it fits nicely into his false claims that the election was "rigged".
Ball explains how the cult has been spread by Covid (launched by the cabal of course) to try and control the world population. When details of the pandemic were sketchy at the start, it was the perfect breeding ground for the other pandemic of QAnon. Masks and vaccination could then be absorbed into the cult, with the mask a symbol of muzzlement or compliance with the deep state. Vaccination/5G are the Cabal's nefarious inventions to take control of people. DYOR means people can pick and choose the bits which most resonate with them, and the book takes you through various other people like Bill Gates being sucked into the "cabal" as villains.
Ball repeatedly makes the point that mainstream social media clamped down on QAnon far too late, and of course when they did it all played into the narrative of the Elite clamping down on the true believers.
The climax of QAnon and its great triumph (The Storm, which Q predicted) was supposed to take part on January 6th when Trump was to claim back the presidency which was "stolen" from him. Millions of people believed that secret plans were being executed in the background by Trump/QAnon but nobody was actually going anything (Trump was watching it on TV). The lack of leadership was apparent when the Capitol was stormed by thousands of supporters. Everyone appeared to be waiting for something to happen, most people were satisfied with taking a few selfies for their social media feed to get thousands of "likes" and then drifted away. Biden was inaugurated and QAnon should have fizzled out, with all its prophecies and grand climax revealed as a fake.
But of course, cults don't work like that. Ball introduces Cognitive Dissonance where many people have invested so much of their life and energy into the cult, that new dates and new predictions are made to replace the old ones. Dates for the return of Trump/JFK Jr have all come and gone, attention is now turning to the Trump trials and the 2024 elections which is another opportunity for The Storm to take place.
The book only gets 4 stars really because of the rather feeble ending. It's unlikely to be read by those who need it most, but it may help family members. It's good for a background of how QAnon started and spread, and some of what is going on in US politics. There are a few suggestions as to how "we" (the liberal elite?) can deal with the rise of the "other pandemic". Arguing with these people is pointless. They have largely moved underground to Telegram/Discord and private WhatsApp groups, as well as Trump's own network. That plays even more into their story of fighting the deep state. It's hard to see any ending, people are frustrated at being "left behind", but see themselves earnestly trying to improve the world in their eyes and right a wrong.
I listened to British journalist Nicky Woolf's Podcast Finding Q on Audible and it more or less identified who was behind the "Q" drops that first appeared on 4- and then 8-chan. Ball explains the jokiness of these "chans" quite well, it's hard to read them if you don't immerse yourself in them. It sounds like Q was started as a prank by two people who never had any knowledge of the intelligence community, and just passed off enough vague predictions that some of them came true. Once Woolf (fairly easily it has to be said) found who they were Q stopped posting. But the movement he/they started went on.
Ball likens Q to a pandemic in that it started with a single case and spread across the world. Like a pandemic, and unlike most cults, nobody is in charge, and there is no leader. Nobody orchestrates what QAnon is, people are encouraged to Do Your Own research (DYOR) to effectively pick and choose the bits that suit them.
At the core of QAnon is a belief that there is a secret cabal of "deep state" actors, including Hilary Clinton and various other prominent democrats, celebrities, and other international leaders, who are engaged in a global conspiracy. Many of them are Jewish. This requires the deliberate sacrifice of children to sustain it in a paedophile ring. Sounds laughable, but a large percentage of Americans believe at least part of it, and it has spread to other countries as well. Donald Trump is happy to play along with the idea that he is fighting the (non-existent) cabal, and it fits nicely into his false claims that the election was "rigged".
Ball explains how the cult has been spread by Covid (launched by the cabal of course) to try and control the world population. When details of the pandemic were sketchy at the start, it was the perfect breeding ground for the other pandemic of QAnon. Masks and vaccination could then be absorbed into the cult, with the mask a symbol of muzzlement or compliance with the deep state. Vaccination/5G are the Cabal's nefarious inventions to take control of people. DYOR means people can pick and choose the bits which most resonate with them, and the book takes you through various other people like Bill Gates being sucked into the "cabal" as villains.
Ball repeatedly makes the point that mainstream social media clamped down on QAnon far too late, and of course when they did it all played into the narrative of the Elite clamping down on the true believers.
The climax of QAnon and its great triumph (The Storm, which Q predicted) was supposed to take part on January 6th when Trump was to claim back the presidency which was "stolen" from him. Millions of people believed that secret plans were being executed in the background by Trump/QAnon but nobody was actually going anything (Trump was watching it on TV). The lack of leadership was apparent when the Capitol was stormed by thousands of supporters. Everyone appeared to be waiting for something to happen, most people were satisfied with taking a few selfies for their social media feed to get thousands of "likes" and then drifted away. Biden was inaugurated and QAnon should have fizzled out, with all its prophecies and grand climax revealed as a fake.
But of course, cults don't work like that. Ball introduces Cognitive Dissonance where many people have invested so much of their life and energy into the cult, that new dates and new predictions are made to replace the old ones. Dates for the return of Trump/JFK Jr have all come and gone, attention is now turning to the Trump trials and the 2024 elections which is another opportunity for The Storm to take place.
The book only gets 4 stars really because of the rather feeble ending. It's unlikely to be read by those who need it most, but it may help family members. It's good for a background of how QAnon started and spread, and some of what is going on in US politics. There are a few suggestions as to how "we" (the liberal elite?) can deal with the rise of the "other pandemic". Arguing with these people is pointless. They have largely moved underground to Telegram/Discord and private WhatsApp groups, as well as Trump's own network. That plays even more into their story of fighting the deep state. It's hard to see any ending, people are frustrated at being "left behind", but see themselves earnestly trying to improve the world in their eyes and right a wrong.
November 14, 2023
I picked this up on a whim from my local library amongst a pile of their brand new Non-Fiction books as it looked interesting. My husband is heavily interested in conspiracy theories, the de-bunking side of it, through YouTube channels like SciManDan. I generally lack patience for it as I find that some of the people who get heavily into conspiracy theories make me want to slam my skull against a wall and I feel that, even with intelligent analysis of their 'theories', I will entirely lose the small amount of faith in humanity that I have left.
I largely tried to ignore QAnon when it emerged, particularly during the pandemic when my mother worked as a nurse treating Covid patients. Just seeing the Orange man on the telly was enough to throw a storm cloud over my day. Thankfully, I am from a family of largely rationale, not easily led individuals. It is rare I came across a QAnon devotee - maybe the occasional mad online comment or someone accusing me of being a 'sheeple' whilst criticising my own independent thought that didn't align with theirs. I also, out of sheer curiosity, joined a group and discovered it was devoted specifically to #SavetheChildren and an alleged child abuse and abduction ring led by the 'cabal' that they advised led the world. I stuck about in that group because it was fascinating in its own disturbing way. I didn't even realise it was an off-shoot of QAnon although I was aware their theories were absolutely insane.
I had heard of words like 'Pizzagate' but I didn't know of the origins of QAnon and pre-cursors to QAnon such as 'Gamergate'. I didn't know much about 4Chan and had never heard of 8Chan. It was therefore incredibly insightful to learn about it through the book. QAnon is discussed in the context of previous conspiracy theories and groups to help us gain a better understanding of why someone would follow it. I also really appreciated its discussion of 'digital ecosystems' and of how best to tackle misinformation and online conspiracy. Ball makes important distinctions between QAnon and other cults and it raises some alarming questions over the future of the internet, social media and the way that culture and society develops through our use of the internet.
I largely tried to ignore QAnon when it emerged, particularly during the pandemic when my mother worked as a nurse treating Covid patients. Just seeing the Orange man on the telly was enough to throw a storm cloud over my day. Thankfully, I am from a family of largely rationale, not easily led individuals. It is rare I came across a QAnon devotee - maybe the occasional mad online comment or someone accusing me of being a 'sheeple' whilst criticising my own independent thought that didn't align with theirs. I also, out of sheer curiosity, joined a group and discovered it was devoted specifically to #SavetheChildren and an alleged child abuse and abduction ring led by the 'cabal' that they advised led the world. I stuck about in that group because it was fascinating in its own disturbing way. I didn't even realise it was an off-shoot of QAnon although I was aware their theories were absolutely insane.
I had heard of words like 'Pizzagate' but I didn't know of the origins of QAnon and pre-cursors to QAnon such as 'Gamergate'. I didn't know much about 4Chan and had never heard of 8Chan. It was therefore incredibly insightful to learn about it through the book. QAnon is discussed in the context of previous conspiracy theories and groups to help us gain a better understanding of why someone would follow it. I also really appreciated its discussion of 'digital ecosystems' and of how best to tackle misinformation and online conspiracy. Ball makes important distinctions between QAnon and other cults and it raises some alarming questions over the future of the internet, social media and the way that culture and society develops through our use of the internet.
August 13, 2023
Io spero che questo libro venga tradotto in tutte le lingue e diventi il bestseller che merita di essere, perché non credo di aver mai letto qualcosa di così completo, coeso e obiettivo sul fenomeno QAnon. Alcune recensioni qui su Goodreads si dicono stupite (e non a torto) di come il libro dedichi relativamente poco spazio al movimento "QAnon" propriamente detto (cioè quello più direttamente coinvolto nella politica statunitense, nell'irruzione a Capitol Hill e nelle visioni messianiche su Donald Trump), ed è sicuramente vero che questi aspetti costituiscono solamente uno dei capitoli del libro, che per il resto preferisce soffermarsi sulle varie diramazioni del fenomeno e su quello che oggi è chiamato "Soft QAnon", a malapena riconoscibile. Ma è esattamente questo, secondo me, il punto di forza dell'analisi di James Ball, che parte dalla pre-preistoria di QAnon per spiegarci attraverso quali tappe il movimento ha preso corpo. E lo fa con la disinvolta dimestichezza di chi, da ragazzino, frequentava in prima persona quei social network sui quali anni dopo sarebbe nato QAnon - e dunque ne conosce perfettamente le dinamiche, il pubblico, i registri linguistici utilizzati. I primi capitoli, in questo senso, sono illuminanti e fondamentali: perché QAnon non nasce con il delirio di un pazzo che si sveglia una mattina con l'idea di postare cose assurde su Internet e, inspiegabilmente, trova subito altre migliaia di pazzi a dargli corda. A (convincente) giudizio di James Ball, la genesi del fenomeno è molto più antica, sfumata (e, per certi versi, quasi casuale).
Scoprire che Ball paragona QAnon a una pandemia mentale e l'accosta alle profezie di Nostradamus e alle accuse del sangue che produssero il caso di san Simonino da Trento (tra i molti): quello, è stato ai limiti del commovente, perché evidentemente non sono io l'unica ad avere a tratti l'impressione di star vivendo in una specie di distopia storica in salsa tardomedievale.
Scoprire che Ball paragona QAnon a una pandemia mentale e l'accosta alle profezie di Nostradamus e alle accuse del sangue che produssero il caso di san Simonino da Trento (tra i molti): quello, è stato ai limiti del commovente, perché evidentemente non sono io l'unica ad avere a tratti l'impressione di star vivendo in una specie di distopia storica in salsa tardomedievale.
November 25, 2023
An interesting and useful guide to understanding the creation and rise of the QAnon phenomenon and how it (plus other adjacent conspiracy theory movements) crossed from the online world into real life. The book charts a progression of how it splintered, morphed (online and in real life) continually combining and absorbing new variants until it became the all encompassing global super-conspiracy.
The book initially treads similar path to the work of Andrea Nagle and Julia Ebner but differs significantly by using the metaphor of the pandemic. Indeed, Covid-19 'sceptics' duly ‘infected’ QAnon (and vice-versa) thus the hybrid rapidly transformed into the global ‘anti-vax’ movement. This is why some who were drawn to the anti-vax movement (from wellness or fitness circles) had little idea of the connection or even any knowledge of QAnon.
By treating the concept as a digital virus, Ball explains how dark corners of the internet (most people are still unaware of places like 4chan and 8chan) become reservoirs for new variants (just like animals are a reservoir for zoonotic diseases) and then ‘jumped’ to hosts in the more mainstream online such as Facebook (arguably the largest reservoir for Q and anti-vax movements) and then into ‘real life’ with a number of high ranking public officials promoting or parroting Q narratives.
Ball also explains why it is impossible to fight conspiracy with fact-checking; it’s like giving a vaccine to someone already infected. Instead you need a new generation of ‘digital health’ measures focused on prevention. While many researchers and journalists are aware of this, whether change will come soon enough to prepare us for 2024 remains to be seen 😬 #bookstagram #igbooks #instabooks #igdaily
The book initially treads similar path to the work of Andrea Nagle and Julia Ebner but differs significantly by using the metaphor of the pandemic. Indeed, Covid-19 'sceptics' duly ‘infected’ QAnon (and vice-versa) thus the hybrid rapidly transformed into the global ‘anti-vax’ movement. This is why some who were drawn to the anti-vax movement (from wellness or fitness circles) had little idea of the connection or even any knowledge of QAnon.
By treating the concept as a digital virus, Ball explains how dark corners of the internet (most people are still unaware of places like 4chan and 8chan) become reservoirs for new variants (just like animals are a reservoir for zoonotic diseases) and then ‘jumped’ to hosts in the more mainstream online such as Facebook (arguably the largest reservoir for Q and anti-vax movements) and then into ‘real life’ with a number of high ranking public officials promoting or parroting Q narratives.
Ball also explains why it is impossible to fight conspiracy with fact-checking; it’s like giving a vaccine to someone already infected. Instead you need a new generation of ‘digital health’ measures focused on prevention. While many researchers and journalists are aware of this, whether change will come soon enough to prepare us for 2024 remains to be seen 😬 #bookstagram #igbooks #instabooks #igdaily
December 9, 2023
A book about QAnon and sometimes more about conspiracy theories in general that looks at the phenomenon from various angles. I liked the pluralistic approach, but I also thought that it doesn't very clearly choose whether it wants to be more descriptive or more explanatory. It is a little bit in between. I am personally more interested in explanations, and although they are partly there, I was hoping for a bit more here. Nevertheless it was interesting and well-written. One of the big take-aways I had from this book is the effectiveness of the 'do your own research' mantra. It cuts two ways: it allows people to dive into the rabbit holes that they are specifically attracted to, and also gives them a feeling of autonomy, that they arrived at their viewpoints themselves (in reality algorithms of social media of course play a large role). It also showed me that QAnon is much bigger than I thought - not really a fringe phenomenon any more. That led me to take it more seriously and start thinking more about what this phenomenon really is in our society: a way for some people who perhaps feel dissatisfied with their position in society to take back control of their lives, work at something meaningful (what can be more meaningful than fighting against an evil cabal that drinks the blood of children) and be part of a social movement. It is about power and meaning - perhaps the two single most important motivations that people have.
October 11, 2023
I mean ... depressing. But this was a good primer to the QAnon of it all. I consider myself knowledgeable about current events, but QAnon (and its associated conspiracy theories) are SO rabbit-warren-y that it's hard to keep track of the who? and the huh? and the wtf? So, thanks, James Ball, because I guess I finally understand Gamergate.
I think Ball's most interesting argument is around the way that the clarion call of conspiracy theorists to "do your own research" intersects with the social media algorithm. So even trying to read up on a conspiracy theory delivers to you more and more content about that conspiracy theory, until you've self-radicalized.
Ball's point that fact-checking conspiracy theories doesn't work is an interesting one. He contends that it's better to fight a wrong fact with your best counter-blow, rather than dismantling the wrong fact. (The example he gives is: when people say, "all immigrants are criminals", counter it with "the NHS is overwhelmingly staffed by immigrants and they're the backbone of our healthcare system.")
I lost Ball when he was writing about the Selfish Gene and memes (not those kind). It felt more like an academic exercise than anything terribly useful.
I also wished there were more real-world stories, more human journalism, in this book, although that's just a personal preference.
I think Ball's most interesting argument is around the way that the clarion call of conspiracy theorists to "do your own research" intersects with the social media algorithm. So even trying to read up on a conspiracy theory delivers to you more and more content about that conspiracy theory, until you've self-radicalized.
Ball's point that fact-checking conspiracy theories doesn't work is an interesting one. He contends that it's better to fight a wrong fact with your best counter-blow, rather than dismantling the wrong fact. (The example he gives is: when people say, "all immigrants are criminals", counter it with "the NHS is overwhelmingly staffed by immigrants and they're the backbone of our healthcare system.")
I lost Ball when he was writing about the Selfish Gene and memes (not those kind). It felt more like an academic exercise than anything terribly useful.
I also wished there were more real-world stories, more human journalism, in this book, although that's just a personal preference.
July 19, 2023
The Other Pandemic by James Ball is a non-fiction book that dives into the deep depths of QAnon - a conspiracy theory that has spiralled out of control.
I really liked the tone of this book and Ball's voice throughout. He is firm, funny and realistic which I really appreciated. He outlines how QAnon originated and changed over time - diving into the intricacies of the conspiracy and the niche areas that I has no idea about. I certainly did not expect to learn to much about code names and internet 'slang' as I did!
I believe that QAnon is an inherently political organisation and I really liked the way in which Ball addressed it. It is clear that he aims to educate and achieves just that. It was great that he added tid-bits about his own experiences with the internet and growing up in a world that is s heavily shaped by it. Some non-fictions can be quite data heavy, but this steered away from that and was a great mix of anecdotes, real life events and data.
Overall, this is a fascinating read about people, culture (my social anthropology heart was beating!!) and internet conspiracies. I would absolutely recommend it if you want to learn more about QAnon and internet culture.
I really liked the tone of this book and Ball's voice throughout. He is firm, funny and realistic which I really appreciated. He outlines how QAnon originated and changed over time - diving into the intricacies of the conspiracy and the niche areas that I has no idea about. I certainly did not expect to learn to much about code names and internet 'slang' as I did!
I believe that QAnon is an inherently political organisation and I really liked the way in which Ball addressed it. It is clear that he aims to educate and achieves just that. It was great that he added tid-bits about his own experiences with the internet and growing up in a world that is s heavily shaped by it. Some non-fictions can be quite data heavy, but this steered away from that and was a great mix of anecdotes, real life events and data.
Overall, this is a fascinating read about people, culture (my social anthropology heart was beating!!) and internet conspiracies. I would absolutely recommend it if you want to learn more about QAnon and internet culture.
February 3, 2024
** This review is not intended to offend anyone **
This read was an eye-opener. I read this as a love for wanting to understand the sociology and psychology of the human race. We are a complex bunch, in more ways than one.
Ball is an impeccable writer. The content is broad and well researched. The whole QAnon/Q movement is not new. It has been embedded in history for centuries although, technology has accelerated the distribution of information. I enjoyed this book, not because I am a believer or non-believer of what QAnon/Q stands for but, because of the question … what do people believe in, and why? I recommend this book as a learning and understanding curve of how humanity can easily fall into a slipstream without realising the power they surrender. 3.5/4
July 31, 2023
Review for ebook edition for ISBN: 9781526642509
It's always fascinating when reading about cults and conspiracies. It never fails to amaze me how the brains of human beings work. It always makes me wonder how skewed a person's thinking is after presented with facts. How can another human being (same species, homosapien) form a different and strange belief than ourselves?
What I learned from this book? How QAnon started, how it went viral, its targeted audiences and member recruitment, the creative thinking of conspiracists, Pizzagate and satanic ritual abuse.
It's always fascinating when reading about cults and conspiracies. It never fails to amaze me how the brains of human beings work. It always makes me wonder how skewed a person's thinking is after presented with facts. How can another human being (same species, homosapien) form a different and strange belief than ourselves?
What I learned from this book? How QAnon started, how it went viral, its targeted audiences and member recruitment, the creative thinking of conspiracists, Pizzagate and satanic ritual abuse.
December 11, 2023
A great framing of the Qanon nightmare as a digital virus. Starting as a 4chan joke that got superbly and grotesquely out of hand, it has birthed an unmanageable leaderless cult. The Qanon phenomenon has built in 'self-radicalisation' eg. telling people to 'do their own research' at the behest of rage fuelled attention hungry algorithms. This allows Qanon fans to disregard Qelements they don't agree with, (which is how you get homeopaths, crypto-bros, and neo-nazis all claiming the same 'truths'. )
Equal parts bleak and hopeful.
Equal parts bleak and hopeful.
July 20, 2023
i recieved an arc of this
a very solid account of the entity that is qanon with some thoughtful conclusions and questions raised. not super enlightening if you've already been diving in to this sort of research, and i think some of the links it makes are a little lazy, but definitely a good starting text if you want an overview.
a very solid account of the entity that is qanon with some thoughtful conclusions and questions raised. not super enlightening if you've already been diving in to this sort of research, and i think some of the links it makes are a little lazy, but definitely a good starting text if you want an overview.
July 11, 2023
This was a very interesting account of the online pandemic.
It details QAnon's beginnings and tracks it's rise online and the effect it's had on the many areas it's touched.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
It details QAnon's beginnings and tracks it's rise online and the effect it's had on the many areas it's touched.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
September 29, 2023
European take on chans, Qanon and other poop. Solid effort. Only three stars from me as I’ve read these topics multiple times from various sources.
October 29, 2023
This isn’t an in-depth review of QAnon and it’s beliefs and how they (don’t) for reality - it’s a careful and important intervention into the dangers of digital conspiracy theories
November 5, 2023
Pick. Another. Career Path.
November 13, 2023
“If you feel you must try to rebute your opponent’s argument, do it after making your own, and try not to repeat their key allegation.”
December 27, 2023
A readable account that encourages deeper thinking about the off-line as well as online factors underlying some of the content on forums such as 4chan and 8chan.
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