A shadow government, satanic cults, and microchips put in our bodies against our will sounds like an episode of the X-Files, but these are hardcore beliefs the QAnon community is desperate for the public to believe. To discuss QAnon and its effect on the population during the pandemic, it’s essential to go back to the beginning, where it all started.  The QAnon movement began in 2017 on lesser-known message boards 4Chan and 8Chan, according to an NBC News article.

There were several different anonymous users claiming to have leaked government information on the message boards, but one in particular was consistent in posting and claimed to be a high-ranking military officer going by the pseudonym “Q.” Over time, individuals began trying to decipher the breadcrumb clues left by Q, hoping to uncover the bigger picture. YouTube channels discussing the latest clues sprang up and gained popularity by stringing together possible meanings.

“I think that conspiracy theories satisfy a need for people,” said Dr. Bernardo Attias, a media and communication studies specialist. “Conspiracy theories offer a comfortable and simple explanation of things.”

As to why the followers are so quick to believe farfetched ideas in the movement Attias said, “The people who believe these conspiracy theories are reasoning backward. Rather than finding evidence, saying, well, ‘what does this mean?’ they start with the conclusion and when they find evidence or information, they use that evidence to explain their conclusion.”

Attias also stated that the QAnon movement has anti-semitic roots with pushing a conspiracy that deals with the absorption of a child's essence or “adrenochrome.” This type of harmful folklore goes back to Roman times with a practice labeled as “blood libel.”

Blood libel is described by the Anti-Defamation League as, “a centuries-old false allegation that Jews murder Christians – especially Christian children – to use their blood for ritual purposes, such as an ingredient in the baking of Passover matzah.”

The idea that children were being harvested by the Hollywood elite and others for their “adrenochrome” or life essence is a claim based on the harmful folklore of blood libel according to Attias. There has also been speculation that there are those who don’t believe any of the conspiracies and simply want them to continue on. 

“I also think that movement is led, or sort of poked and encouraged along by people that are called grifters,” Attias said. “In other words, these are people that don't necessarily believe this, or they don't really care if the conspiracy is true or not, but they're using it to make money, or they're using it to gain power in other ways.”

During the pandemic, the QAnon movement seemed to gain remarkable traction in moving into the spotlight. Unproven conspiracy theories such as #WayfairGate, a baseless child trafficking claim, attracted more than 4 million views on TikTok according to an article by The Washington Post. 

In addition to the Wayfair conspiracy, the idea that the COVID -19 pandemic was a planned government move began to circulate among the community. Ideas that shadow governments across the globe came together to shut down countries spread like wildfire. Followers of the movement circulated infographics with so-called facts about the “plandemic” associating pictures and statistics out of context. 

Top hashtags that are now monitored and shadowbanned on major social media platforms include but aren’t limited to: #saveourchildren, #plandemic, #scamdemic, #wayfairgate, and #stopthesteal. The term “shadowban” on social media platforms such as Instagram or Twitter refers to the platforms keeping posts from using these hashtags from appearing on the top of searches or the trending page. Social media giants such as Twitter and Instagram are doing their part to stop the spread of misinformation by shadowbanning hashtags associated with QAnon conspiracies and removing posts altogether. In 2020 the introduction of fact-checkers appeared on platforms offering a more academic approach to dispelling false information rather than just removing users’ posts. A warning appears under possibly misleading posts warning users that information may be incorrect and offering resources for factual information.

The insatiable lure to belong to something bigger than yourself is one of QAnon’s biggest draws, but many don’t realize what they are signing up for when they go looking for that version of the “truth.”

The movement that essentially began as somewhat of a mockery of fringe message boards has now become something of tangible danger. Information and technology are two very powerful tools, use them wisely and you’ll change the world. Misinformation perpetuated at lightning speed through technology, however, has the means to destroy everything.