Cults, Culture & Coercion with Dr. Steve Hassan Online Radicalization with Data Scientist Dr. Stuart Shulman
12 snips
Feb 26, 2024 
Dr. Stuart Shulman, a data scientist and CEO of Texifter, dives into the murky waters of online radicalization. He reveals how Twitter fuels movements like QAnon and explores the alarming presence of foreign influence in Canadian politics. Shulman discusses the dangerous blend of real and fake users in shaping narratives and the prevalence of anti-vaccine content among extremist groups. He warns of the risks posed by unregulated AI in the digital landscape and emphasizes the importance of civic engagement to combat disinformation.
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Not All Actors Are State Operatives
- Shulman found a transnational affinity group: authentic people worldwide who share pro-Russia and nationalist views.
- He cautions against assuming all activity is state-directed; many actors are ideologically aligned.
Doubt As A Weapon
- Steven Hassan links modern disinformation tactics to fourth-generation warfare: sow distrust and polarize institutions.
- The goal is to make people reject experts and become vulnerable to authoritarian certainty.
Anti‑Science Is Core To Networks
- Shulman observed extreme anti-vax content deeply embedded in early QAnon networks from 2017 onward.
- Surviving founding QAnon accounts remained uniformly hostile to climate and vaccine science.
