ABSTRACT
Since 2017, when QAnon first appeared, practically no effort has been made to obtain any interpretive framework of what QAnon is, since the media has been concentrated on the movement’s worldview linked to conspiracy theories and the violence its adherents have perpetrated. Nonetheless, there is a critical need to go beyond this singular understanding of the movement, to better understand why individuals believe in the QAnon ideology, and how it mobilises them offline. For many, the initial response to the QAnon conspiracy theory is to dismiss or belittle it and its believers. It is crucial to emphasise, however, that the movement’s supporters sincerely believe in the theories – even if it means jeopardising their families and communities. This study will argue that the present incarnation of QAnon should be seen as a ‘hyper-real religion’. Using the concept of hyper-real religions allows researchers to go beyond the conspiracy theory parts of QAnon and understand why its supporters absorbed QAnon into their worldview and online/offline actions. This implies that technology and the marketplace of ideas have flipped the traditional relationship between religious purveyors and religious customers. As a result, popular culture creates religious doctrinal authority (those who can contribute to the religion’s teaching). This chapter will explain what QAnon is, how it is a hyper-real religion, and present case studies from QAnon influencers as well as what I call the QAnon Ekklesia.
