Case Study: Alt-Social Media and Wayfair

In June 2020, Wayfair – an online furniture and home goods marketplace – found itself at the center of a major alt right conspiracy theory.  Members of the alt right community QAnon alleged Wayfair’s storage cabinets were "all listed with girls' names," as part of a supposed child trafficking ring. QAnon conspiracy theorists also claimed after they put stock-keeping unit (SKU) numbers of specific Wayfair products into Yandex – a major Russian search engine – images of young women would appear in the results.

The conspiracy theory went viral, not only on the deep and dark web, but on mainstream platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook. QAnon supporters attempted to short the company’s stock, believing they were taking down a company involved in pedophilia.  Members of QAnon even posted pictures and locations of Wayfair offices and went as far as posting LinkedIn employee profiles. No violent security incidents against Wayfair employees were reported but people’s personal identifiable information was at risk.  People believing these conspiracy theories also posted pictures of missing children cases, some of which had been solved, and attempted to claim these children were being sold on Wayfair – impeding official investigations into these cases.

Pyrratech could not identify if Wayfair’s declining revenue is tied to the conspiracy theory. However, Wayfair’s stocks and revenue were not impacted when the conspiracy theory began in 2020.  The conspiracy theory has resurfaced on mainstream platforms, including TikTok beginning in February 2023. 

Forums such as 4chan and 8kun were the main forum for QAnon conspiracy theorists. Mentions of Wayfair on alt right forums primarily now take place primarily on Truth Social, Telegram, and GETTR. Mention volume over the last 180 days was 1,425 posts on alt right forums. This is less than when the conspiracy theory started but accusations still persist. Anonymous users continued to claim Wayfair is trafficking children along with major stores such as Walmart. This has caused Wayfair reputational damage as there is now a segment of the population which equates the company with pedophilia.  

The Wayfair conspiracy theory shows disinformation campaigns can put companies and their employees at risk. In this case, disinformation even obstructed investigations into missing persons. 

Mentions of “Wayfar” across alt-social

Truth Social advertises itself as a ‘free speech’ platform. The platform was created by Trump Media & Technology Group, an American media and technology company founded in October 2021 by former President Donald Trump. The platform is a way for Donald Trump to circumvent the restrictions placed on his Facebook and Twitter profiles. Sentiment was predominantly  negative, with hateful and violent material observed.

Telegram is a chat service with an application which provides optional end-to-end encrypted (popularly known as "secret") chats and video calling. These features have made it popular with groups like QAnon to conceal their messages. Posts relating to Wayfair were predominantly violent or negative. 

GETTR is a social media platform and microblogging site popular with the American alt right. It was founded by  former Donald Trump aide Jason Miller on July 4, 2021. The app has recorded millions of downloads. Posts relating to Wayfair were predominantly negative or offensive. 

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