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Memes are a key tool for extremist communities and conspiracy theories

A study identifies the language of the internet based on text and images as a formula for representing the world view of groups that subscribe to hoaxes

According to a study by the British institution, published in Social Media and Society, for the most extremist communities and subscribers to conspiracy theories, they are essential for sharing and spreading “their vision of the world,” strengthening ties and transmitting deceptions: wolves in sheep’s clothing in online communication. The roles attributed to the characters and cultural representations are also repeated, which are summarized in a deceitful, selfish, and shadowy elite that manipulates the rest of society, a deluded and uninformed majority, and the superiority of the group as an “enlightened minority committed to free thought and independent research.” This blind trust in what is communicated is also evident in a study published in Nature Human Behavior by a team from Pennsylvania State University, which analyzed more than 35 million posts over three years on Facebook, although the patterns found are repeated on other social networks.

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