Editor(s): Stefano Lovi
Preface: Alessandro Barile
A ‘necessary’ correlate of populism, conspiracy is one of the most evoked and least understood phenomena of recent years. Alongside the ‘people vs. elite’ dichotomy, which has fuelled a certain populist discourse, there is also an opposition between the ‘official truth’ and the ‘hidden truth’, which conspiracies of various kinds aim to unravel. Has social virality only amplified an ever-present phenomenon in human societies (suspicion), or has it also changed its character? Through the study, analysis and interpretation of some particularly striking phenomena of this decade (QAnon, 4chan, the rise of Trump and the assault on Capitol Hill, the fight against vaccines), the research intends to provide tools to grasp the essence of the phenomenon, clarifying both its real dimension and the potential risks of its misunderstanding or underestimation.
Publisher: Apes
