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I had a revelation the other day about Q
In media literacy circles, we spend a lot of time pulling our hair out in frustration at the perceived idiocy of these QAnon believers. How could anyone in modern day be so gullible? We sling insults, we tell them "JUST STOP!" and family and friends eventually cut them off, leaving them to their sad fate with their fellow fools.
But perhaps we're looking at this the wrong way. What if it isn't stupidity that drives these people to this bizarre and broken reality? I'm becoming more and more convinced that the problem isn't idiocy. It's addiction.
And to the honest, the more I see, the more conspiracy theories in general appear to be addictive. Take these interviews from the children of QAnon believers for example. These stories could have easily been talking about parents addicted to heroin. Once kind and generous people who spiraled out of control do to a bad habit.
The descent into Q mirrors a victim's descent into addiction
- People who are the most vulnerable are those who don't have a strong support system and spend hours alone on social media.
- Older people are easier targets because they weren't raised with the internet and have low digital literacy.
Reason doesn't stop them because truth was never the point
- Friend's and families desperate pleas to stop, or try to debunk the nonsense, can't get through to them. This is because this was never about "getting to the bottom" of anything. Truth was never the point. The point has always been watching the drama unfold.
- The stories of child abuse by evil politicians are grotesque and bizarre, similar to true crime shows. There's a morbid fascination that causes people to come back over and over to read the next "episode". It's essentially a giant political LARP. Except the real victims are the players themselves.
- People are able to entertain themselves, find community, and indulge in emotions that their lives don't normally allow: self righteous outrage, a sense of being superior for knowing "the truth", and the excitement at things are really about to change to the better.
Q addiction leads to isolation which only drives them further down
- As people spend more time indulging in these fantasies, it inevitably begins to spill over into their real life. This leads to divorce, job loss, and estrangement from friends and family. And once that happens, who is there for them? Why their fellow addicts of course. Locking that person in a cycle of enabling. If your only friends are Q believers, than you're much less likely to question it. And risk losing the only friends you have left.
This all follows the patterns of addiction very closely. Meaning the only real solution will be strong campaign of aid, education and prevention. "Getting people off Q" will be difficult, especially the longer they've been indulging in the fantasy.
Rejoining reality will likely be painful for Q believers, because it means accepting that problems Q promised to fix are actually extremely boring. That much of the suffering they endure is due to a profoundly broken system that they have little power to change. And that no hero is going to valiantly swoop in to save us. It will likely be a traumatizing blow.
More research and outreach is needed.
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