Timothy Tangherlini Explains the Structure of Conspiracy Theories in Ars Technica

Computational folklorist Timothy Tangherlini’s research into conspiracy theories and online platforms was featured in a recent article in Ars Technica. Tangherlini and his coauthors analyzed around 18,000 Reddit and Voat posts surrounding the infamous “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory to visually map out the narrative complexes embedded within the theory. Specifically, their model illustrates how the connections among actors, places, and things within disparate Pizzagate posts augment the cohesiveness and viral power of the theory.

Read Jennifer Ouellette’s article about Tangherlini’s work in Ars Technica here and the original scholarly study here.