Interpreting Without Identity: QAnon's Formation in an Anonymous Online Space

This thesis examines the formation of the conspiracist group, QAnon through an analysis of its emergence on the website, 4chan. Through an analysis of interactions between users, this research shows how the anonymous platform complicated deliberation and agreement but encouraged participatory speculation. As anonymity threatened participants’ ability to interpret and understand each other, participants began to identify other users as outside saboteurs. Without histories of participation, any anonymous user could be identified as an outsider. This process helped the emerging group to legitimize its interpretive activity, while discouraging competing understandings of the group. This research shows how anonymity undermines traditional supports for interaction while also encouraging conspiracist speculation