Misinformation, Conspiracy Beliefs, and Social Media Platforms in Protests

• In Event: Conspiracy Theories, Platforms, and Elections

Abstract

Protest has long been associated with left-wing actors and left-wing causes. However, right-wing actors also engage in protest. Are right-wing actors mobilized by the same factors as those on the left? This paper uses cross-national (US, UK, France, and Canada) survey data (n=6,000) gathered in February 2021 to assess the role of misinformation, conspiracy beliefs, and use of different social media platforms in explaining participation in marches and demonstrations. We find those who use Twitch and TikTok are twice as likely to participate in marches and demonstrations, compared to non-users, but the use of these platforms (as well as Parler) are more highly related to right-wing protest participation, compared to left-wing protest. Beliefs in conspiracy theories and exposure to misinformation about the US election (on social media) also increase protest participation, but the increase is greater for protests on the right compared to the left. In contrast, exposure to misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic (on social media) is related to protest on the left. Our research makes several important contributions. First, we separate right-wing protests from left-wing protests, whereas existing scholarship tends to lump these together. Second, we offer new insights into conspiracy beliefs and misinformation from an international perspective. Third, we examine the roles of emerging social media platforms such as Twitch, TikTok, and Parler (as well as legacy platforms such as YouTube and Twitter) to better understand the differential roles that social media platforms play in protest participation.

Authors

• Shelley Boulianne, MacEwan University

• Sangwon Lee, New Mexico State University