Network analytics applied to three days of QAnon-related tweets

By Steve Hedden and Dave Bohl

This analysis was made possible by the qanontwitternetwork (https://www.qanontwitternetwork.com/). The tool provides a real-time snapshot of all QAnon-related tweets. Here is the code repo in GitHub.

First of all, what is QAnon? According to the NYTimes from September 1st, 2020,

QAnon is the umbrella term for a sprawling set of internet conspiracy theories that allege, falsely, that the world is run by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles who are plotting against Mr. Trump while operating a global child sex-trafficking ring.

According to BuzzFeed News from September 4th, 2020,

It’s not easy to describe, but one thing we know to be true: It’s not a conspiracy theory — it’s bigger.

What started as a thread on the anonymous message board 4chan has long since entered the mainstream: Questions about QAnon have been asked in the White House press room, and a Q follower is poised to be voted into Congress later this year.

When QAnon started appearing several years ago, journalists fumbled to concisely explain it to mystified readers, and usually settled on far-right conspiracy theory.

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The editors at BuzzFeed…