Group 2 - Research Questions

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Research questions for Group 2, Big Lie, Rigged 2020 Election – Casey Meyers, Kayla Pagan, Michael Zhen, Ria Grafman 1. What are conspiracy theories and what is their allure? Conspiracy theory is a belief that an event or situation is responsible by an influential or powerful organization/group. The allure of conspiracy theories is that they give people something or someone to blame as they cope with fears, anxieties, and pain. It also provides them with a sense of belonging, comfort, and support. 2. What role do social media/chat rooms play in the spread of conspiracy theories today? Social media and chat rooms play a big role in spreading conspiracy theories today. Some ways social media contributes to this spread of conspiracy theories are by creating echo chambers. Basically, social media’s algorithm recommends users posts that they already liked or shared. This creates exposure to media that confirms their existing bias and makes it difficult for people to challenge their own perspectives or beliefs. In addition, people tend to spread conspiracy theories online to go viral by reaching huge audiences just from the title of their posts. 3. Identify and discuss what you know about your conspiracy theory before you research it. The big lie was a conspiracy theory where people believed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump mainly from voter fraud. Although this information was proven to be false and fact-checked by multiple news sources, there are still a lot of Republicans who still believe in this conspiracy theory. 4. As you begin your research, where did you first see the conspiracy theory discussed and reported? Who in the media is amplifying it and why? Be sure to include social media and chat rooms in your research. The first mention of this conspiracy theory was former President Trump. Even before the election began President Trump made statements saying that the election may be tainted. This was said by Trump, just in case he lost, which he did. After losing, he began to emphasize that the election had been rigged, and many right-leaning news programs including Fox News, Newsmax, and One America News Network all sided with Trump, with no

known evidence at the time. This news was then amplified on mainly Twitter, but also on other social media platforms. 5. Who do you think is behind the conspiracy theory and what is their motivation? What evidence is there that leads you to believe this or is it just an educated guess? I think Trump and extreme Republicans are behind this conspiracy theory. I believe the motivation stems from them not being able to take defeat and also from being a victim of both misinformation and disinformation. This is not just an educated guess. The 2020 election was deemed one of the most secure elections; the claims of a rigged election were debunked after a thorough investigation. 6. Which of the Module 2 Checkology Conspiratorial Thinking concepts (confirmation bias, motivated reasoning, epistemic motivation, existential motivation, institutional cynicism, illusory pattern perception) apply to followers of this conspiracy theory? Explain why. What are the key claims? I think most of the Module Two Checkology Conspiratorial Thinking Concepts apply to the followers of this specific conspiracy theory. The concepts I think that stick out the most for this conspiracy are Motivated Reasoning, Existential Motivation, and Illusionary Pattern Perception. Motivation Reasoning is found in this case because many of the people supporting the claims of a rigged 2020 election are doing so because they see this information on social media platforms. This information supports their own beliefs, which leads to them ignoring evidence that is contradictory and gives them a biased conclusion. Additionally, Existential Motivation is found here because many of the people who were supporting the false narrative of a rigged election were doing so for their own psychological needs. Most of these people seek a sense of control in their lives and finding a theory that supports their own beliefs helps them find sense in the situation. Lastly, Illusory Pattern Perception is present in this case because naturally, humans seek out patterns or connections to make a narrative or conclusion. When these patterns are found people may use them as a sign or evidence of fraud which only reinforces their beliefs. 7. What are the key claims? List them.

The critical claim within the big lie is that the election in 2020 has been rigged. The Republicans believe that there was a technological “error” that modified the votes. They claim that there is no way that Trump didn’t win. They think they’re being good civilians by making these claims. The Big Lie goes on for years due to the Republicans refusing the fact that Trump lost against Biden. 8. What is your verdict on the veracity of your conspiracy theory’s key claims and why? Which tools did you use to debunk them? The verdict on my claims is that the conspiracy is understandable since they genuinely wanted Donald Trump to win, but it feels like it’s been stretched too far. There should have been a limit to the lengths they went to, to prove this theory of theirs. Their conspiracies aren’t going to change the current president’s position, so why go through all the lengths to not receive what they want? The conspiracy continues for a while but doesn’t change the fact that Joe Biden won the election. Numerous articles show numbered proof of how many votes Biden or Trump received in each state. It seems that Trump disliked that he lost and was making false claims for the Republicans to believe. 9. Does your conspiracy theory trigger an emotional response (like fear, prejudice, hate) or partisan appeal? If so, how? And what are the implications of that emotional response? This conspiracy theory triggers hateful responses from the Republican side. It angers them that the president they wanted wasn’t the one they received. Republicans held rallies for this theory. They made it abundantly clear they would do anything to get what they wanted. The implications of this emotional response didn’t help in their favor since it was proven that the voting ballots weren’t rigged. 10. Can you Identify the people or groups who may believe the conspiracy theory your team is analyzing and benefit from disseminating it? Are they susceptible to this disinformation? If so, why? Since our conspiracy theory was the Big Lie, the Republicans more specifically the Trump Supporters are the group of people who believe in this conspiracy theory and benefit from disseminating it. You can also argue that Donald Trump himself benefits from this theory being disseminated because it causes doubt to possibly have him get what he wants. The Republicans can be susceptible to this disinformation, and they could also be the ones making

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