True Costs of Misinformation| Mountains of Evidence: Processual “Redpilling” as a Socio-Technical Effect of Disinformation

Abstract

How do people come to believe Far-Right, extremist, and conspiratorial ideas they encounter online? This article examines how participants in primarily U.S.-based Far-Right online communities describe their adoption of “redpill” beliefs and the role of disinformation in these accounts. Applying the socio-technical theory of media effects, we conduct a qualitative content analysis of “redpilling narratives” gathered from Reddit, Gab, and Discord. While many users frame redpilling as a moment of conversion, others portray redpilling as a process, something achieved incrementally through years of community participation and “doing your own research.” In both cases, disinformation presented as evidence and the capacity to determine the veracity of presented evidence play important roles in redpilling oneself and others. By framing their beliefs as the rational and logical results of fully considering a plethora of evidence, redpill adherents can justify holding and promoting otherwise indefensible prejudices. The community’s creation, promotion, and repetition of Far-Right disinformation, much of which is historical or “scientific” in nature, play a crucial role in the adoption of Far-Right beliefs.