The Rhetoric of Conspiracism in User-Centered Democracy
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THE RHETORIC OF CONSPIRACISM IN USER-CENTERED DEMOCRACY Tyler John Easterbrook A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of English and Comparative Literature. Chapel Hill 2021 Approved by: Jordynn Jack Daniel Anderson Jane Danielewicz Todd Taylor Torin Monahan © 2021 Tyler John Easterbrook ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Tyler John Easterbrook: The Rhetoric of Conspiracism in User-Centered Democracy (Under the direction of Jordynn Jack) This dissertation examines social media-based conspiracy theories of the past five years (2016-2021) and considers what this recent conspiracy rhetoric suggests about the evolving relationship between people, platforms, and politics in the contemporary United States. I use the tools of rhetorical theory and criticism to analyze a small archive of conspiracist content across three case studies—Pizzagate, a conspiracy theory alleging a vast pedophilia ring run by political elites; conspiracy theories surrounding the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida; and Plandemic, a self-styled “documentary” about COVID-19 conspiracies that went viral in May 2020. In each case study, I show that the conspiracy rhetoric in question uses the unique affordances of social media platforms to amplify that conspiracy theory’s rhetorical efficacy. Ultimately, I argue that conspiracism has now become a durable form of social media content that threatens to wreak havoc on American political discourse. iii To Nora, whose profound friendship made this dissertation possible. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I offer my heartfelt thanks to my dissertation committee, who have supported me in innumerable ways throughout my time at UNC. I thank you for your patience above all. Even when I had no idea what I was doing, you believed in what I could and would do (eventually!). I owe a great debt to my advisor, Jordynn, who guided me through this project’s many twists, turns, and dead ends. Jordynn, I am so appreciative of the many meetings we had, drafts you read, courses you taught, and reading recommendations you gave. I cannot overstate how critical your support has been both for this project and for my overall intellectual development. To my other committee members: Dan, thanks for serving as my former co-advisor, employing me in the SITES Lab (RIP), and mentoring me as a 2018 Digital Dissertation Fellow. Each of those experiences shaped the teacher and scholar I’ve become. Jane, thanks for being such a reliable source of support. Your no-nonsense attitude is so refreshing (and rare among academics), and it has been a crucial motivator during my meandering path through graduate school. Todd, thanks for giving me the opportunity to serve as Assistant Director of the UNC Writing Program in 2017-2018 and for recommending me to the Uplift PLUS program—the former gave me critical training in how to think about digital literacy at the programmatic level, and the latter provided me with some of the most gratifying teaching experiences of my career. Last but certainly not least: Torin, thanks for teaching two fabulous courses, particularly the first one I took with you in spring 2016 (Technology, Culture, and Power). That seminar was the single most important class in helping me transition from analyzing literary texts to analyzing v sociotechnical systems. Even if that course’s insights are more latent in this dissertation project, know that they continue to inform my scholarship as a whole. I would never have even made it to graduate school in the first place were it not for the wonderful faculty at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, who saw my potential and nurtured it. Your tutelage was critical to my success, and I seek to emulate that mentoring with own students. I thank in particular Ann Rea, Catherine Cox, and Frances Zauhar, who helped me apply to graduate school and wrote letters of recommendation on my behalf. The three of you are the only reason I got into graduate school at all, let alone a top PhD program like UNC’s. Beyond my faculty mentors, my gratitude extends more widely but no less meaningfully. I am so grateful for the friends and colleagues I’ve made at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (in alphabetical order by surname and hopefully without oversight): Oren Abeles, Mairin Augustine, Matt Duncan, Sarah Heying, Lina Kuhn, Jason Loan, Debbie Maron, Arun Nagendra, Kim Pentel, Chelsea Schein, Carly Schnitzler, Sarah Singer, Emi Stuemke, Lindsay Tello, and Carlie Wetzel. I know some of you better than others, but all of you have made my time at UNC meaningful. Sarah Singer deserves special mention for being a vital source of support as I finished this dissertation in summer 2021. I really don’t think I could have finished on time without your help, Sarah. I owe you one! I also owe much to the Dissertation Support Group at CAPS. To the support group facilitators Zoe Silverman, Sophia Davis, and especially Jo Fullmer—thank you for providing such a valuable mental health resource for struggling ABDs. That group got me through some really tough times in the late stages of my PhD. And to my fellow participants (who of necessity must be thanked anonymously)—thank you for all of the encouragement you provided me and vi allowed me to provide in turn. I’m not sure if our paths will ever cross again, but your support has meant so much to me. Many thanks to my family, particularly my sisters, Amber and Maddi, and my mom, Sherri. Mom, you have always been there for me during the long haul that is getting a doctorate in the humanities—from helping me process my anxieties about being on the job market to celebrating my successes, both momentous and mundane. Ever since I woke you up at midnight to tell you I got on UNC’s waitlist, you have been a reliable cheerleader for my scholarly ambitions, and I am eternally grateful for that. I cannot end these acknowledgments without thanking the people who have shaped this dissertation the most. Nora, I dedicated this dissertation to you partly because I had no clue how I could express my gratitude otherwise. You and I both know that I couldn’t have finished this this dissertation, let alone made it through graduate school, without your friendship. Finally, I thank my partner Frank, whose love and support have so enriched my life. Frank, may we enjoy many nights playing videogames and cuddling with Bunsen and Beaker. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... ix INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 Intellectual Parameters: Conspiracy Rhetoric and Digital Rhetoric ....................................2 Methods and Methodology ..................................................................................................5 Chapter Summaries ............................................................................................................12 CHAPTER 2: PIZZAGATE AND CUT-AND-PASTE CONSPIRACISM .................................17 A Partial History of Pizzagate............................................................................................20 Conspiracy Rhetoric’s Supply and Demand ......................................................................24 If It Sticks… Cut-and-Paste Conspiracism in Action ........................................................27 Confronting Cut-and-Paste Conspiracism Beyond Pizzagate ............................................41 CHAPTER 3: PARKLAND AND THE SHAREBAIT ENTHYMEME ......................................45 Literature Review: Parkland and the Rhetoric of Gun Violence .......................................48 The Uncanny Power of the Sharebait Enthymeme ............................................................53 Page Not Found..................................................................................................................63 CHAPTER 4: PLANDEMIC AND CONTENT INCOORDINATION.........................................66 Audience Appeals in (Anti-)Vaccine Rhetoric ..................................................................71 “That’s all we can do”: Segmented Audience Appeals in Plandemic ...............................76 Content Incoordination and the Social Media Audience ...................................................93 CONCLUSION: WHEN CONSPIRACISM BECOMES CONTENT..........................................97 The Rhetorical Limits of User-Centered Democracy ......................................................101 viii Conspiracism in the Classroom: A Closing Vignette ......................................................103 WORKS CITED ..........................................................................................................................110 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: @DavidGoldbergNY tweet ............................................................................................21 Figure 2: 4chan “glossary” for the Podesta email archive .............................................................21 Figure 3: “Condescending Wonka” Pizzagate meme ....................................................................28 Figure 4: “They Are All Pedophiles—The Choice to Know Will Be Yours” collage ..................29 Figure 5: The Lord of the Pedophile Rings