QAnon and Its Conspiracy Milieu: The Italian Case

Social unrest and the uncertainties during the coronavirus pandemic have enhanced the visibility of QAnon, a baseless internet conspiracy theory alleging that a cabal of Satan-worshipping Democrats, Hollywood celebrities and billionaires is running the world while engaging in global, sex-trafficking of children. QAnon followers consider former US President Donal Trump their paladin, the only antagonist of the cabal and its ‘deep state’ collaborators. This chapter analyses how this conspiracy theory, which is based primarily in the USA, has caught on and spread in Italy. It brings into focus the conspiracy milieu where QAnon theories have been endorsed and accepted as plausible. Through the empirical examination of the implied epistemological horizon, the contribution argues that alternative science’s popularisation has acted as one of the leading discursive strategies through which conspiracy ideation has been successful in engaging its followers.