ABSTRACT
For big lies and conspiracy theories to penetrate groupthink, they require channels of massive dissemination. With the advent of mass digital communications media, the reach of politically motivated lies has expanded dramatically, changing the world of politics profoundly. Although lobbyists and other kinds of influencers existed before the internet, the current social media universe has given voice to conspiratorial groups, such as QAnon, whose sole reason to exist is to promote political lies and conspiracy theories. As McLuhan so aptly pointed out, the medium has a direct effect on the content of a message. The QAnon phenomenon would not have emerged and spread without social media—corroborating McLuhan's insight.
