2022: A Year In Conspiracies
Throughout 2022, the ecosystem of alt-social media continued to evolve as users flocked to minimally moderated platforms such as Gab, Truth Social, and Parler. Towards the end of 2022, many users left Twitter for other alt-sites such as Mastodon and Counter Social. These fringe sites breed hate speech, targeted violence, and conspiracy theories – increasingly, extremist narratives that fester on alt-social media have created real-world pain and suffering. All indicators point to a worsening problem in 2023.
As we prepare to uncover and respond to these threats once more in 2023, it’s useful to review what happened in 2022 to see what we can learn about protection against false narratives that damage lives and reputations. From hate-fueled massacres to bomb threats against hospitals, here are the worst events from each month of 2022 that were created or worsened by fringe disinformation campaigns.
January 2022
Issue: Oath Keepers founder indicted for seditious conspiracy
What happened: Founder and leader of the Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes was indicted by the DOJ on charges related to the January 6 attempted insurrection, along with 10 other Oath Keepers.
Impact: Rhodes’ indictment and recent conviction served as further evidence for many fringe users that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump, and that the Democrats are a corrupt, autocratic party. This narrative sits at the core of several ongoing conspiracy theories, including the ‘Great Reset’ narrative.
February 2022
Issue: QAnon believers forced Texas butterfly sanctuary to close
What happened: QAnon conspiracists relentlessly targeted the National Butterfly Center in Texas for months, spreading lies that it was a hub for human trafficking and illegal immigration.
Impact: The escalating wave of violent threats forced the sanctuary to close its doors indefinitely as a precautionary measure for the safety of staff and visitors. The center reopened two months later in April.
March 2022
Issue: The People’s Convoy
What happened: For weeks, a right-wing trucker group calling itself the “People’s Convoy” drove in circles around the Capital Beltway in Washington DC, protesting vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions.
Impact: The truckers attempted to cause chaos in DC for weeks promoting conspiracies, including that the government orchestrated the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines are harmful, and vaccinated people were injected with tracking chips. Prior to venturing across the country, the group threatened to blockade the Super Bowl. These threats were taken seriously by DHS who issued an alert, leading to an increase in man-hours and costs to prepare for a ‘worst case scenario’, which luckily did not occur.
April 2022
Issue: Disney and the Don’t Say Gay Bill
What happened: Anti-gay extremists led a targeted campaign to brand Disney as a radical left-wing organization.
Impact: In retaliation for Disney’s public stance against the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis abolished Disney’s self-governing district of Reedy Creek. This led to the loss of the company’s special tax privileges, which will cause significant financial ramifications in the coming years. Furthermore, the ongoing fall-out from the controversy contributed to the removal of CEO Bob Chapek.
May 2022
Issue: White supremacist shooting in Buffalo
What happened: A mass shooter targeted a supermarket in a majority-Black area of Buffalo, NY, shooting 13 people and killing 10. All 10 people who died were Black.
Impact: The shooter posted a manifesto on a private Discord channel describing his commitment to white supremacy and belief in the “Great Replacement” theory. Large sections of the manifesto were directly copied from one written by Brenton Tarrant, who committed the 2019 massacre in a Christchurch mosque. The shooter took further inspiration from Tarrant and live streamed the attack on Twitch in hopes the cycle would continue and his video would push others to commit their own atrocities.
June 2022
Issue: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade
What happened: On June 24th, the Supreme Court overturned America’s constitutional abortion rights when they released their previously leaked decision on Dobbs v. Jackson.
Impact: Misinformation spread rapidly and caused serious confusion for women seeking abortions about what options remained legal in their state. Additionally, misogyny exploded online as trolls and extremists disparaged and shamed women who seek abortions while they celebrated their ‘victory’ on fringe and mainstream social media.
July 2022
Issue: Monkeypox Global Health Emergency
What happened: Homophobic disinformation about the monkeypox virus infected mainstream discourse in July after the World Health Organization declared it a global health emergency. Online rhetoric blamed gay men for spreading monkeypox in the US which echoed homophobia from the HIV/AIDs crisis in the 80s.
Impact: The LGBTQ+ community (and especially gay men) were further demonized by mainstream and fringe outlets, and inaccurate information was spread about how the disease was transmitted. When news emerged that a small number of children had been diagnosed with Monkeypox, alt-social media users quickly popularized the idea that gay men were infecting kids via sexual abuse. This fed into the existing right-wing frenzy around false conspiracies of gay and trans “groomers” targeting children. Far-right politician Marjorie Taylor Greene spread this dangerous narrative on Twitter where she has over one million followers.
August 2022
Issue: Boston Children’s Hospital receives bomb threats
What happened: In August, Boston Children’s Hospital faced vicious threats and online harassment. In an emailed statement, the hospital reported receiving a “large volume of hostile internet activity, phone calls, and harassing emails including threats of violence” targeting healthcare providers after LibsofTikTok, a popular disinformation account, posted false information about Children’s Gender Multispecialty Service, which offers gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
Impact: The hospital had to take serious action to secure the physical security of its staff and infrastructure. Longer term, the harm that LibsofTiktok’s harassment campaign did to the Boston community continues to fester as threats of bombings and other violent attacks stretched into November. Across the country, other institutions providing care or safe spaces for trans youth are facing similar attacks, confrontations, and threats.
September 2022
Issue: Nord Stream pipelines sabotaged
What happened: On September 26, a series of bombings and subsequent gas leaks damaged the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines. Swedish authorities later confirmed the bombings were an act of sabotage.
Impact: Gas prices in Europe skyrocketed after the explosions, leading to significant downstream price hikes around the world, while alt-social actors in Russia, Ukraine and the US used the opportunity to push conspiracy theories and propaganda about the attack.
October 2022
Issue: Paul Pelosi attacked
What happened: In October, someone broke into Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco house and fractured the skull of the Speaker’s husband, Paul Pelosi. Alt-social users spread rumors that the assailant was Mr. Pelosi’s secret male lover and the attack was a crime of passion.
Impact: Paul Pelosi recovered from the attack, but was relentlessly targeted by a malicious disinformation campaign aiming to discredit and humiliate both he and his wife. These conspiracy theories continue to spread through far-right circles, causing lasting damage to the reputation of both Pelosis. The damage caused by the conspiracy was escalated by Elon Musk, who Tweeted an article about the conspiracy from the Santa Monica Observer, a notorious fake news source.
November 2022
Issue: Homophobic attack on Club Q
What happened: A gunman opened fire in Club Q, an LGBT nightclub in Colorado, killing five people and injuring 25. On alt-social media, extremists spread cruel posts implying the victims of Club Q deserved to be massacred for celebrating their identities.
Impact: The massacre put gay communities around the country on high alert, fearing more homophobic attacks as online vitriol spread that blamed the club for the attack. In the aftermath of such a devastating hate crime, businesses that cater to LGBT clients are reviewing and strengthening their security systems in hopes of circumventing other attacks inspired by Club Q.
December 2022
Issue: Far-right extremists target drag queens
What happened: Throughout December, members of the far-right swarmed events featuring drag queens to intimidate and threaten the crowds. These protests are organized and encouraged on alt-social media, and homophobic and transphobic sentiments are commonplace.
Impact: In Columbus, Ohio, a planned Drag Queen Story Hour at a local library was canceled after Proud Boys and other extremists showed up in protest.
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