The Social Chemist

On today's episode, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Pierre joins me to discuss the psychosocial elements that contributed to the susceptibility of the QAnon movement, and the varying degrees of convictions held by Q followers. We explore what the future might hold for QAnon as a potential Trump presidency slowly creeps back into power.

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Dr. Joseph Pierre Twitter/Website

• Joe Pierre, MD - psychunseen.bsky.social (@psychunseen) / X (twitter.com)
• Joe Pierre, MD (drjoepierre.com)

Book: The Social Science of QAnon
Amazon.com: The Social Science of QAnon: 9781009055024: Miller, Monica K.: Books

Recommended Episodes 

• QAnon: A Psychiatric Assessment of a Delusion Like Belief w/ Dr. Brian Holoyda (buzzsprout.com)
• Here Comes the Storm: The Origins of QAnon w/ Mike Rothschild (buzzsprout.com)

On today's episode, Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware counterterrorism experts from the Council on Foreign Relations stop by to discuss their new book "God, Guns, and Sedition: Far Right Terrorism in America." which tracks the history of white supremacy from the Reconstruction era all the way to the modern-day America.  They offer policy suggestions on how to combat the rise of political extremism and their thoughts into the state of democracy with the upcoming 2024 election.

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Bruce Hoffman & Jacob Wear Book
God, Guns, and Sedition | Council on Foreign Relations (cfr.org)

Recommended Readings
The Third Generation of Online Radicalization | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University (gwu.edu)

Recommended Episodes 

• Undercover within the New Face of White Supremacy w/ Matson & Tawni Browning (buzzsprout.com)
• Here Comes the Storm: The Origins of QAnon w/ Mike Rothschild (buzzsprout.com)
• QAnon: A Psychiatric Assessment of a Delusion Like Belief w/ Dr. Brian Holoyda (buzzsprout.com)
• How the Far-Right hijacked the Wellness Movement w/ Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker (buzzsprout.com)
• The Great Replacement Conspiracy Theory & The Reaction from the Republican Establishment (buzzsprout.com)

On today's episode, Matson and Tawni Browning join to discuss their 2023 book "The Hate Next Door: Undercover within the New Face of White Supremacy," which documents their experience going undercover as white political extremists infiltrating hate groups such as the National Alliance and Unit 88. They offer some reasons why people joined white supremacy groups and advice to help anyone falling down the rabbit hole of hate.

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Matson and Tawni Website
The Hate Next Door | Matt&Tawni Browning (mattandtawni.com)

Escaping Polygamy
Watch Escaping Polygamy Full Episodes, Video & More | Lifetime (mylifetime.com)

Other Social Chemist Episodes

• What Is A Conspiracy Theorist? w/ Aoife Gallagher (buzzsprout.com)
• A New Era in Disinformation: AI Generated Imagery w/ Todd C. Helmus (buzzsprout.com)
• Here Comes the Storm: The Origins of QAnon w/ Mike Rothschild (buzzsprout.com)
• QAnon: A Psychiatric Assessment of a Delusion Like Belief w/ Dr. Brian Holoyda (buzzsprout.com)

On today's episode, DeMario Phipps-Smith, a Senior Manager of Community Learning at the News Literacy Project, joins me to discuss news media literacy. As AI technology evolves at a fast pace, scholars on misinformation wonder how this will change our understanding of false narratives. What role do educators have in this social problem, and what tools can be used? The discussion will help us better understand this complex issue and offer resources to help combat disinformation.

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Educator Resources
News Literacy Project

DeMario Phipps-Smith
DeMario Phipps-Smith | LinkedIn

Recommended Social Chemist Episode
A New Era in Disinformation: AI Generated Imagery w/ Todd C. Helmus (buzzsprout.com)

On today's episode, Matthew Facciani a sociologist at the University of Notre Dame in the Computer Science and Engineering department joins me to discuss how negative vaccine attitudes don't necessarily tell us about public health behaviors. We touch upon whether government regulations of social media to mitigate misinformation are effective and other strategies in reducing conspiracy theory consumption. Lastly, we talk about his first book "Misguided: Where Misinformation starts, how it spreads, and what to do about it" and the central theme of his work.

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Matthew Facciani Profile/Literature Review 

• Matthew Facciani
• Matthew Facciani (@matthewfacciani) on Threads
• Political network composition predicts vaccination attitudes - ScienceDirect

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

• Do Liberal Conspiracy Theories Exist in Contemporary Politics? w/ Ph.D. Benjamin Dow (buzzsprout.com)

On today's episode, Todd C. Helmus, a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, joins me to talk about how AI-generated imagery will change how mis and disinformation is created and disseminated. We discussed how effective regulating this technology will be in mitigating propaganda and political extremism and whether it will alter how researchers in fake news understand this issue.   

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Todd C. Helmus Profiles

•  Todd C. Helmus - Profile | RAND 
•  Todd Helmus (@Helmus) / X (twitter.com) 

Todd C. Helmus Article

•  Artificial Intelligence, Deepfakes, and Disinformation: A Primer | RAND 

Recommend Social Chemist Episode 

•  How Susceptible are you to Misinformation? w/ Dr Rakoen Maertens (buzzsprout.com) 

On today's episode, I am joined by conspiracy theory researcher and QAnon expert, Mike Rothschild. We explore the origins of QAnon, whether mental health practitioners have a role in addressing far-right conspiracy theories and assess the conspiratorial framework of the Q movement based on his 2021 book "The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became A Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything." We conclude our discussion by speaking about his third book, which will be released on September 19th, titled “Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories”. A book that explores how one Jewish family --the Rothschilds--became a lightning rod for conspiracy theories in the last two centuries.

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Mike Rothchild Website/Twitter

•  Select Media Appearances, 2020-2023 – Mike Rothschild (themikerothschild.com) 
•  Mike Rothschild (no relation) (@rothschildmd) / X (twitter.com) 

Mike Rothchild Books 

•  Amazon.com: The World's Worst Conspiracies: 9781789509328: Rothschild, Mike: Books 
•  Amazon.com: The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything: 9781612199290: Rothschild, Mike: Books 
•  Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories: Rothschild, Mike: 9781685890643: Amazon.com: Books 

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

•  QAnon: A Psychiatric Assessment of a Delusion Like Belief w/ Dr. Brian Holoyda (buzzsprout.com) 
• How the Far-Right hijacked the Wellness Movement w/ Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker (buzzsprout.com)
• The Conspiratorial State Of The Republican Party w/ Sam Faldraga (buzzsprout.com)
•  Antisemitism: The Conspiracy Theory of the Enemy Above (buzzsprout.com) 

On today's episode, I am joined by Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker, a Senior Lecturer in Sociology from the University of London. We explore the origins of the Wellness Movement in the U.S. and the people who helped develop its foundations. Then explore whether inaccessibility to healthcare puts more people at risk of medical misinformation or whether other factors are at play. Lastly, we look into the types of influencers that have profited off the spread of misinformation and offer some suggestions to differentiate between reliable information and misinformation, at a time when institutional trust is at an all-time low. 

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Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker Twitter

•  Dr Stephanie Alice Baker (@DrSABaker) / X (twitter.com) 

Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker book 

•  Wellness Culture: How the Wellness Movement has been used to Empower, Profit and Misinform (SocietyNow): Alice Baker, Stephanie: 9781802624687: Amazon.com: Books 

Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker Google Scholar

•  ‪Stephanie Alice Baker‬ - ‪Google Scholar‬ 

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

•  Social Work's Relationship with Pseudoscience Practices w/ Bruce Thyer (buzzsprout.com) 

On today's episode, I am joined by board-certified forensic psychiatrist Dr. Brian Holoyda, whose work involves paraphilic disorders and cult-like behaviors. In our conversation we discuss the concepts of Delusion Like Beliefs (DLBs) and whether QAnon fits the criteria of being a cult movement. We also cover the diagnostic and ethical dilemmas in pathologizing conspiracy theories as an addiction disorder.

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Dr. Brian Holoyda Literature Review

• QAnon: A Modern Conspiracy Theory and the Assessment of Its Believers | Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (jaapl.org)

Dr. Brian Holoyda website

• Brian Holoyda, MD, MPH, MBA | Forensic Psychiatry

Other Social Chemist Episodes

• What Is A Conspiracy Theorist? w/ Aoife Gallagher (buzzsprout.com)
• Do Liberal Conspiracy Theories Exist in Contemporary Politics? w/ Ph.D. Benjamin Dow (buzzsprout.com)

On today's episode, renowned behavioral scientist Dr. Rakoen Maertens from Cambridge University joins me to discuss the development of the Misinformation Susceptibility Test (MIST) and the importance of creating metric tools that have high validity in measuring false narratives. We cover what the mainstream media needs to do to regain the trust of a society that has expressed skepticism about their reporting. I also attempt to pitch a game show about misinformation with Dr. Maertens to sell to Netflix. 

Misinformation Susceptibility Test
https://yourmist.streamlit.app/

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Dr. Rakoen Maertens Social Media/Literature Reviews

• Rakoen Maertens | Twitter
• Rakoen Maertens | Instagram
• The Misinformation Susceptibility Test (MIST): A psychometrically validated measure of news veracity discernment

Online References

• How well can Americans distinguish real news headlines from fake ones?
• Americans' Trust In Media Remains Near Record Low

Other Social Chemist Episodes

• Interventions for Conspiratorial Thinking and their Limitations w/ Cian O'Mahony
• Do Liberal Conspiracy Theories Exist in Contemporary Politics? w/ Ph.D. Benjamin Dow

On today's episode, Cian O'Mahony, a Ph.D. candidate at the University College Cork, joins me to talk about the most effective interventions in reducing conspiratorial inclinations and how video games can help us develop the cognitive tools to prevent becoming victims of false narratives. We end our discussion by talking about Jeffrey Epstein and whether or not he truly did kill himself. 

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Cian O'Mahony Research Article

• The efficacy of interventions in reducing beliefs in conspiracy theories: A systematic review

Cian O'Mahony Blogs and Social Media

• Cian O'Mahony
• Cian O'Mahony | Twitter 

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

• The Conspiratorial Mindset Behind Sandy Hook Elementary School (buzzsprout.com) 

On today's episode, Daniel Berman, a postdoctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Historian of Education & Curriculum, joins me to discuss his research on 9/11 conspiracy theories and how they have influenced classroom discussions.  We tell our memories of September 11 and briefly talk about conspiracy theories about Pearl Harbor. Throughout the podcast, we attempt to find solutions to the complex issue of conspiratorial ideations and assess some of their limitations.

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Daniel Berman Research Article/Resources

•  “It’s a Growing and Serious Problem:” Teaching 9/11 to Combat Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories: The Social Studies: Vol 112, No 6 (tandfonline.com) 
•  Teaching 9/11 and the War on Terror Beyond the Twentieth Anniversary – A Resource Guide for Teachers and Educators – UW–Madison (wisc.edu) 

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

•  Librarians vs Conspiracy Theories: The Battle for Knowledge, Truth, and Ethics w/ Bradley Wiles (buzzsprout.com) 
•  Do Liberal Conspiracy Theories Exist in Contemporary Politics? w/ Ph.D. Benjamin Dow (buzzsprout.com) 
•  9/11 Conspiracy Theories: Flight 93 - The Day the Sky Attacked (buzzsprout.com) 

As the negative impact of COVID-19 dies down, many influencers in the conspiracy theory community are searching for the next existential threat to boost their popularity and financial gains. Recently, the trans community has become the new outgroup to attack with conspiracy theories. The trend was further exacerbated when on March 27, 2023, 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who identified as trans, entered Covenant Presbyterian Church, a private Christian school, and murdered three 9-year-old children and three adults before being shot down by two police officers. In the aftermath of this event, the conspiracy theories about the transgender invasion evolved from the LGBTIA+ recruitment agenda to the transgender insurrection. In this episode, we take a road trip to Tucker Carlson's Tonight and assess what makes a conspiracy theory a conspiracy theory and how far-right conspiracy theorists developed their conspiracy narrative against the transgender community.

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References

•  Tucker Carlson: Transgenderism is America's fastest-growing religion - YouTube 
•  Transgender Pastor compares the Nashville shooter to Jesus - YouTube 
•  Ontario NDP calls for public safety zones for drag performances, LGBTQ+ community - YouTube 

News Articles

•  Tennessee Republicans call for release of Audrey Hale's manifesto (nypost.com) 

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

•  Dr. Jordan Peterson & The Moral Panic of Transgenderism (buzzsprout.com) 
•  The HIV/AIDs Denialism Movement & the Implications on the LGBTQ+ (buzzsprout.com) 
•  The Gay Agenda & Pedophilia Scare Conspiracy Theory (buzzsprout.com) 

Today's episode covers the breaking news about Tucker Carlson's departure from FOX News. What events triggered Tucker's termination from FOX, and where does the most popular political pundit head next? Will Tucker Carlson join Newsmaxx, become the next Rush Limbaugh or become exclusive to the Daily Wire?

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References

• Tucker Carlson ousted at Fox News amid lawsuit alleging sexism : NPR
• Fox News Parts Ways With Tucker Carlson Days After Dominion Settlement - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
• Fox News Lost the Lawsuit but Won the War - The Atlantic

Cenk Uygur Prediction 

• Why Did Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon Get Fired? - YouTube

On today's episode, Bruce Thyer, a Distinguished Research Professor from Florida State University, joins the podcast to discuss the negative implications of pseudoscientific theories within MSW programs and practices. In this episode Bruce Thyer explains pseudoscience and the history behind such concepts. We discussed the obstacles in addressing pseudoscientific beliefs regarding biopsychosocial assessments and their emphasis on cultural sensitivity. Lastly, Bruce Thyer offers suggestions on how to challenge pseudoscientific claims being promoted by academic authorities.

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Bruce Thyer
Bruce Thyer | College of Social Work (fsu.edu) 

References

•  The Problem of Pseudoscience in Social Work Continuing Education: Journal of Social Work Education: Vol 52, No 2 (tandfonline.com) 
•  Pseudoscience - Wikipedia 

Bruce Thyer Book

•  Amazon.com: Science and Pseudoscience in Social Work Practice: 0000826177689: Thyer PhD LCSW BCBA-D, Bruce A., Pignotti PhD LMSW, Monica G.: Books 

The Social Chemist Citation

•  Perez, N. (Host). (2023, April 14). Social Work's Relation with Pseudoscientific Practices. [Audio podcast episode]. In The Social Chemist.  URL 

In this episode, Stephan McCabe, a postdoctoral associate from George Washington University, joins me to discuss his research on misinformation campaigns regarding U.S. elections and their implication to voting behaviors. We also dive into what factors contribute to succumbing to disinformation and whether left-wing conspiracy theories from the early 2000s can still be considered left-wing.

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Stefan McCabe
Stefan McCabe (@mccabe_s) / Twitter 

References

•  Online engagement with 2020 election misinformation and turnout in the 2021 Georgia runoff election | PNAS 
•  Higher education responses to COVID-19 in the United States: Evidence for the impacts of university policy | PLOS Digital Health 

On today's episode, Nelson talks about his experience attending a TurningPointUSA event at Rutgers University. In this event, Nelson attempts to understand the conspiratorial mindset of Candace Owens (a right wing commentator and conspiracy theorist) by asking her opinion about the 1.6 billion dollar defamation lawsuit against FOX News by Dominion Voting System. For this episode, we try to determine whether FOX News intentionally provided false information for a political agenda and whether Candace Owens is an enabler and defender of the Big Lie conspiracy theory. 

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References

• TPUSA Presents The LIVE FREE Tour LIVE from Rutgers University with Candace Owens - YouTube

News Articles

• New Fox-Dominion Lawsuit Documents Shed Light on Debate Inside Network - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
• How an election-fraud claim got on Fox News and led to a $1.6 billion lawsuit : NPR

Other Social Chemist Episodes

• The Conspiratorial Right Wing's Protection of Alex Jones (buzzsprout.com)
• Giorgia Meloni: The Rise of Conspiracism in Italy (buzzsprout.com)

In recent weeks FOX News has been exposed for spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories about the 2020 Election. After text messages and emails revealed that FOX hosts like Sean Hannity, Lauren Ingraham, and Tucker Carlson disavowed these ideas yet still promoted them to their audience members, Tucker Carlson has gone on the offense to rewrite history and reignite the dangerous conspiracy theories about the Big Lie and QAnon. In today's episode, we look at the contradictions made by Tucker Carlson and some of the logical fallacies at play.

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References

• Tucker: This video tells a different story of Jan 6 - YouTube

News Articles

• Dominion lawsuit documents show Rupert Murdoch rejected election conspiracy theories | CNN Business
• New Fox-Dominion Lawsuit Documents Shed Light on Debate Inside Network - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
• Republican Lawmakers Split Over Carlson’s False Jan. 6 Claims - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
• Family of U.S. Capitol Officer Condemns New Footage: 'Frankly Sick of It' (newsweek.com)
• Fox News-Dominion: Tucker Carlson hates Trump 'passionately,' more (usatoday.com)

The Majority Report 

• Tucker’s Dishonest Jan 6 Exposé Is Worse Than Anticipated - YouTube

On today's episode, Ph.D. candidate and librarian Bradley Wiles talks about how conspiracy theories have forced the librarian profession to rethink its code of ethics regarding political propaganda and disinformation. We also touch upon whether media information literacy effectively pulls people out of the rabbit hole.

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Bradley Wiles Scholarly Journals
Re-thinking Information Ethics: Truth, Conspiracy Theories, and Librarians in the COVID-19 Era (degruyter.com)

One of the most prominent conspiracy theories in ancient and contemporary society is that of antisemitism (hatred of  Jews). In recent times influential political pundits such as Nick Fuentes and pop artist, Kanye West have promoted conspiracy theories targeting the Jewish community. Such rhetoric brings much concern among historians and researchers of conspiracy theories who warn people to stay alert to ideologies that historically led to the extermination of 6 million people. Today's episode covers the history and conspiratorial mindset of antisemitism and how affect, behavior, and cognition influence in-groups perceive out-groups.

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References

• What is antisemitism? | IHRA (holocaustremembrance.com)
• Antisemitism | Southern Poverty Law Center (splcenter.org)
• Matthew 27 KJV - When the morning was come, all the - Bible Gateway
• Anti-Semitism | History, Facts, & Examples | Britannica
• blood libel | anti-Semitism | Britannica
• History of Jewish Money Lending (jewishhistory.org)
• Nostra Aetate | Glossary | ADL

Scholarly Journals

• The Psychology of Modern Antisemitism: Theory, Research, and Methodology (degruyter.com)
• An existential threat model of conspiracy theories. - PsycNET (apa.org)

Books

• Web of Lies: How to tell fact from fiction in an online world: Gallagher, Aoife: 9780717195121: Amazon.com: Books