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QAnon and On

A Short and Shocking History of Internet Conspiracy Cults

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QAnon and On

By: Van Badham
Narrated by: Van Badham
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About this listen

In QAnon and On, Guardian columnist Van Badham delves headfirst into the QAnon conspiracy theory, unpicking the why, how and who behind this century’s most dangerous and far-fetched internet cult.

From Gamergate to Pizzagate and beyond to QAnon, internet manipulation and disinformation campaigns have grown to a geopolitical scale and spilled into real life with devastating consequences, entangling everyone from politicians to Hollywood celebrities.

But what would motivate followers to so forcefully avoid the facts and surrender instead to made-up stories designed to influence and control? It’s a question that has haunted Van, herself a veteran of social media’s relentless trolling wars. In this daring investigation, Van exposes some of the internet’s most extreme communities to understand conspiracy cults from the inside.

QAnon and On is the story of the modern internet, the farscape of political belief and a disinformation pipeline built between the two that poses an ongoing threat to democracy itself. Shocking and mesmerising in equal measure, this book will open our eyes to the dangers of partisan belief.

©2021 Van Badham (P)2022 W F Howes Media Studies Social Sciences Scary

Critic Reviews

"Van Badham is one of the most lucid, insightful and witty journalists in Australia, and seeing her expose the dark rising madness of conspiracy theories is both a joy and a panic attack all at once." (Johann Hari, New York Times best-selling author)

"Van Badham’s research is rigorous, her argument revealing and her writing absolutely impeccable. A chilling reveal on the world’s newest cult." (Jamila Rizvi, best-selling author and presenter)

"This book will compel you - and indeed all of us - to act to reclaim the internet for the good of humanity." (Ginger Gorman, multi-award winning journalist and author)
All stars
Most relevant
Thoroughly enjoyed. Well worth listening to.
An insightful look at human behaviour, what influences people and a great chronological history of Q Anon.

Fascinating

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Thank you to the author for writing this book & exposing the thinking & pathways to conspiracy thinking. The advice on how to possibly help those who have fallen down the rabbit hole is excellent.

Such an important book

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Powerful and thought-provoking listen from an extremely intelligent and highly regarded journalist in Van Badham.

Current and prescient.

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Was engaged the whole way through. It’s a complex topic but the author has thoroughly researched it and helps to make it more understandable in an engaging way. It is certainly eye opening and jaw dropping in parts.

Excellent book, well researched, very interesting and informative

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From personal experience to research to experts the suthor lays out the madness of internet conspiracy theories but ends with a message of hope and kindness followers rarely afford their victims.

Empathetic but real

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