Losers gotta lose.
Why QAnon Survives After Trump [npr.org]
Why QAnon Survives After Trump [npr.org]
Inauguration Day should have punctured the conspiracy theory at the heart of QAnon.
In fact, the QAnon community has survived multiple unrealized predictions preached on Internet message boards since 2017. That's when its originator, an anonymous individual (or individuals) known as "Q" who purports to have high-level government security clearance, began posting on sites like 4chan. Followers decipher and analyze Q's cryptic online posts to create a false narrative that has spilled into the real world and even fueled violent acts like the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
"They come to their conclusion first," View says. "They decide what makes them feel best and then they construct conspiracy theories that help them convince themselves why that's true."
"It's really kind of like an improvisational reality building," he continues. "They don't look to the outside world to try and figure out what is true and what is not, and as a consequence, sometimes have to face harsh truths such as the electoral victory of Joe Biden.