Author: DiMaggio, Anthony R.
Description: This paper examines the impact of partisanship, rightwing media, and social media on attitudes about contemporary conspiracy theories. Mainstream scholarly views that ‘both sides’ of the political aisle indulge routinely in such theories are challenged. I adopt a Gramscian hegemonic framework that examines rising rightwing conspiracy theories as a manifestation of mass false consciousness in service of a political-economic system that serves upper-class interests. Issues examined include the QAnon movement, ‘big lie’ voter fraud conspiracism, and Covid-19 conspiracy theories, and the way they related to partisanship, rightwing media, and social media. I provide evidence that Republican partisanship, rightwing media consumption, and social media consumption are all significant statistical predictors of acceptance of modern conspiracy theories.
Subject headings: Right wing; Republicans; Social media; Partisanship; Conspiracy theories; Media
Publication year: 2022
Journal or book title: Critical Sociology
Volume: 48
Issue: 6
Pages: 1025-1048
Find the full text: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/08969205211073669
Find more like this one (cited by): https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=14855197655737771847&as_sdt=1000005&sciodt=0,16&hl=en
Serial number: 3722