Abbie Richards
@abbieasr
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i am professionally obsessed with TikTok | mis and disinformation researcher | opinions are my own
Joined April 2012
New from me: On TikTok, rampant misinformation in the wake of Hurricane Helene has spurred calls for violence against FEMA personnel.
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Conspiracy theories are everywhere and people don't understand how harmful they are. I made the original Conspiracy Chart over a year ago. An update was long overdue. This is the 2021 version.
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Shaming people who believe illogical things just pushes them further into their radicalization networks. Disinformation is everywhere. We need to teach people how to spot it early. This is my Conspiracy Chart. I think it helps.
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The way we’re about to watch Milton unfold through the eyes of its victims on TikTok feels unprecedented. I have two degrees in climate science. Not once in my education did we talk about the role that social media would play in the collective experience of climate change.
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TikTok discourse of the week: everyone is convinced gasoline has lost its smell.
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I’m getting a lot of requests to post this here as well. I’m working a revision (I didn’t expect this to blow up) that I’ll post soon. Some things need to be moved/clarified (i.e. Antifa Wildfires and moon landing + flat earth which are moving up)
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I should clarify: I’m not saying Iran-Contra didn’t happen. This was meant to imply we have questions about Reagan’s involvement. That is why it’s in the “we have questions” category. Sorry, that could’ve been more clear.
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a lot of people out here criticizing “religion” when the word you’re actually looking for is “christianity”.
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When this officer displayed compassion the system replaced him with one that was ready to perform violence #JusticeForGeorgeFlyod #bostonprotest #BLM
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Explainer: why conspiracy theories are so popular after tragedies
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A fake TikTok from Ukraine has garnered over 5 million views in 12 hours. It features a couple repeating “oh my god, oh my god” then there’s a loud explosion, screaming and he saw “ow my leg.” . I found this exact audio on another video from the 2020 Beirut explosion.
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What happens immediately when a conspiracy theory prediction fails? . Let’s do post-mortem on CERN July 5th conspiracies:
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Apparently Twitter likes my Conspiracy Theory Chart. Here’s a link to a pdf of it. I don’t think it’s perfect and I’m still trying to make it better! .
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Alongside stories about TikTok being flooded with Ukraine war footage, I’m seeing academics say “TikTok has never been used this way before.” . This is false and it says much more about how academics & journalists have regarded TikTok than it says about the app. (Thread).
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Breakdown: 3 major misinformation trends on TikTok regarding Ukraine
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Taking suggestions for the title of this series. Working title:.QAnon Explained (for sheeple)
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Please. Verify. Any. Information. You. Are. Spreading. Please.
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No one becomes radicalized overnight. It takes time and lots of small steps in that direction. This video is an example of what those steps might look like as an individual increasingly believes illogical and dangerous things.
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This girl has set up an entire hate page for one building in New York and I’m living for it.
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New research study from me and @OliviaLittle: . Engagement with transphobic content was enough to push a user’s feed into a far right rabbit hole in just a matter of hours.
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Can we skip the think pieces about how the Democrats failed? . We had a referendum on racism, sexism, and ethnic cleansing and the American people voted in favor of those things. It’s not a campaign strategy failure. Americans chose the campaign running on cruelty. That’s it.
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I honestly can’t explain this one. I’m curious if it’s possible it’s related to higher ethanol dilution levels. Some people think it’s COVID. Maybe it could be a collective psychological phenomenon? . I can’t find any fact checks. So this is me atting the fact checkers.
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As the Wayfair conspiracy goes viral again on TikTok, I want to examine the culture of conspiracy theories on the platform. Conspiracy theories aren’t just occasional, random videos on TikTok, there is an entire creative economy which supports them. Thread⬇️
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Hi… I’m here. I literally research disinformation and extremism on TikTok specifically. And from where I stand, the problem isn’t that there aren’t young researchers. The problem is that we aren’t being invited into the room.
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It’s so weird. all the people who have shared my Conspiracy Chart to their large followings without giving me credit are men 🙈.
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Why on earth is it necessary to compare my looks to anyone- let alone a notoriously problematic actress? . I am an expert in my field. There are zero reasons to talk about me like this.
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Part 3 is coming soon! But in the meantime here’s my favorite thing about conspiracy “theorists.”
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Actual footage of HBO putting together the most sensationalist trailer possible for their QAnon doc
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Good morning! The bigger the conspiracy theory, the more mathematically unrealistic they become.
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Meanwhile on TikTok the users have convinced themselves April 24th is “National Rape Day” despite there being no actual evidence of the original threat. Though well intentioned, these viral “awareness” videos are causing mass panic and traumatizing survivors.
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My conspiracy chart is officially a part of a university curriculum 🤯🤯
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The way true crime turns real people’s trauma into entertainment for profit is already disgusting. But watching it unfold in real time with Gabby Petito’s case is nauseating. So let’s explore TikTok users’ unhealthy obsession with her disappearance.
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Trucker convoys explainer: how to make something small look big
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I don’t just “simplify big ideas” in a “sugar coated glass of coke” and maybe if you hadn’t wasted word space calling me “chirpy” and a “Lena Dunham lookalike” you could’ve mentioned my published research.
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An Open Letter to Spotify: A call from the global scientific and medical communities to implement a misinformation policy. Signed by 260 doctors, nurses, scientists, and educators.
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This is an educational video. Maybe @ForecasterEnten and @CNN can use it if they’re ever confused about this again in the future.
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Explaining the new Conspiracy Chart. Hopefully this video series will be a helpful resource for getting through the holidays.
Conspiracy theories are everywhere and people don't understand how harmful they are. I made the original Conspiracy Chart over a year ago. An update was long overdue. This is the 2021 version.
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I’ve had several journalists ask me if the Letter to America TikTok trend is inorganic or coordinated and the short answer is: we don’t know! . I will say, the accounts I’ve seen participating don’t strike me as particularly suspicious. 🧵⬇️.
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For ten dollars I’ll FaceTime into your Thanksgiving family dinner and explain that there is no global satanic pedo cult.
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It’s Holocaust Memorial Day. This is an explainer video on how conspiracy theories contributed to the Holocaust.
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Explainer: Why conspiracy theories typically end in antisemitism in 60 seconds (ish)
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I hit 200k today on TikTok. That’s 200,000 TikTok users interested in learning about disinformation and conspiracy theories. That’s pretty neat.
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hello i am: tiktoker cum researcher
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Explainer: real conspiracies vs conspiracy theories and how to spot the difference
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The Conspiracy Chart: The Antisemitic Point of No Return.What are these dangerous conspiracies and why do people believe them?
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But WHY do 70% of Republicans believe that there was election fraud?. TL;DR The Illusory Truth Effect
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For the record: I don’t lay awake at night wondering why men don’t find me attractive. I lay awake at night wondering why I’m still attracted to men.
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What’s QAnon and why did YouTube ban it? Explained. Very briefly.
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1/ Stop saying TikTok is “usually just an app for memes and dancing, not serious issues.” Remember when TikTokers supposedly trolled a Trump rally? That was 21 months ago. TikTok's been a political tool for as long as it's been used by people who care about political issues.
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QAnon 101 Lesson 6: .Violence . Sorry no one likes to think about this but it’s important that you understand how these beliefs can lead to violence.
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HOLY SHIT I’M ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE BOSTON GLOBE.
In today’s paper: Families struggling to provide home health care would get a boost in the Democrats’ spending bill, but advocates say it’s not enough, putting TikTok to work in the climate fight, and more.
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Here’s a visual depiction of our radicalized TikTok feed. Though we exclusively interacted with transphobic content, additional hateful narratives also increased. Homophobia, misogyny, racism and calls to violence all increased with transphobic content engagement.
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My debunk of a viral video pushing misinformation about adverse reactions to the COVID vaccine received 1.2 million views overnight on TikTok. Comments like these indicate that countering viral anti-vax misinfo can help reduce anxiety around the vaccines.
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Conspiracy theorists should do Throwback Thursdays where they post about conspiracies they’ve abandoned.
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TikTok’s platform design makes spreading misinformation about Ukraine easy. Just use an old audio. The audio used here is a year old. Caption says “join live” because livestreams are profitable. There’s been a surge of fake Ukraine livestreams raking in donations on TikTok.
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The media categorizes all climate activists as either.1. too radical .2. children . Stop calling me a teen. I’m getting my second degree in climate science and I’m pretty fucking sick of media coverage that depicts my work as something cute for adults to gawk at.
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The Conspiracy Chart part 4: .Science Denial .Conspiracies are rooted in anxiety and they increase during times of instability. It makes sense why they’re on the rise right now.
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Explainer: conspiracy theorists and “just asking questions”
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The number of low ranking, underpaid civil servants that would have to be involved in a massive voter fraud initiative is mind boggling. Imagine being paid minimum wage to commit treason.
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These videos are crime-porn often under the guise “awareness.” Supporting a victim and her family does not include pouring through her intimate details and then broadcasting them for attention and profit on social media. You are not a detective. Log off.
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Dear TikTok, .I’m sorry for posting the video that showed all the threats I get from Nazis online. You were right to remove it. I won’t talk about the violent rhetoric I experience on your platform anymore. From now on I’ll just internalize it. Love, .Abbie.
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Misinformation can cause serious harm. Sharing something because it "might be true" has real-world consequences.
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so this has officially gotten out of hand. mom can you come pick me up? im scared
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I spoke with more than half a dozen extremism/disinformation experts for this video. It’s so important and if it doesn’t blow up I’m just gonna repost it every day till it does I guess 🤷🏼♀️.
QAnon 101 Lesson 6: .Violence . Sorry no one likes to think about this but it’s important that you understand how these beliefs can lead to violence.
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“This TikToker” is going on my resume. It’s the 21st century. Professionalism has left the group chat.
This TikToker is going viral for her videos that break down conspiracy theories
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Hello my name is Joe Rogan. Welcome to the marketplace of ideas! .This is my friend! He’s a white supremacist. I’m gonna let him on my podcast whenever he wants. Omg! Don’t like listen to his ideas tho!! .Lmao wanna wrestle me? xx
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The Conspiracy Chart Part 4:.Science Denial.We have to understand the reasons WHY people reject science and the concept of “experts”.Also it’s super interesting 😊
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8/8 If you are saying either that TikTok has never been used politically or that it’s never seen on-the-ground footage, you’re wrong. The new element here is the scale. All you're really saying is that you’ve miscalculated and didn’t take TikTok seriously before this.
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My takeaways from #QIntoTheStorm by @CullenHoback . 1. Ron Watkins is (probably) Q.2. There is a magic Twitter tool??.3. If HBO ever interviews me I can request to be any CGI insect of my choice .4. My choice is a bumble bee.
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