Conspiracy Theories Following the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting

• In Event: Mass Shootings and the Media

Abstract

In the wake of the shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, FL) on February 14, 2018, conspiracy theories began to flood the internet. Existing literature on the internet and mass crises has addressed how first responders and victims utilize social media during a crisis situation, but has not addressed how conspiracy theories develop and propagate online following similar events. This study seeks to fill this gap by examining online conspiracy theories following the Parkland attack.

Conspiracy theories circulating online were collected using snowball sampling from February 21st to March 31st, one week following the March for Our Lives in Washington D.C. Data will be analyzed qualitatively with the goal of achieving three related research goals:
1. Compose a typology of conspiracy theories related to mass-casualty events that can be used in future research
2. Identify how Parkland conspiracy theories changed in response to unfolding validated information
3. Examine the bi-directional relationship between offline media and online conspiracy theorists

Author

• Meagan Abel, Michigan State University