The Social Chemist

Send us Fan MailOn today's episode, lecturer and researcher on conspiratorial beliefs Ilya Yablokov joins me to discuss Russia Today's usage of conspiratorial ideologies and how that has helped the Kremlin villainize the U.S. He shares his thoughts on how U.S. and Russian conspiracy theory culture is similar and different. As well as address the effectiveness is news media literacy. InstagramThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) • Instagram photos and videosThreadThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) on ThreadsSubstackThe Social Chemist Newsletter | SubstackIlya Yablokov's Book and New York Times articles Russia Today and Conspiracy Theories: People, Power and Politics on RT - Kindle edition by Yablokov, Ilya, Chatterje-Doody, Precious N. Politics & Social Sciences Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.Opinion | How Putin’s Propaganda System Keeps Him in Power - The New York Times (nytimes.com)How conspiracy theories help to maintain Vladimir Putin’s grip on power in Russia (theconversation.com)Recommended EpisodeNews Media Literacy: An Educators Tool Against Misinformation w/ DeMario Phipps Smith (buzzsprout.com)

Send us Fan MailIn today's episode, Royce Hutson, Ph.D., joins me to discuss the role of social workers in addressing political extremism and the effectiveness of violent extremism prevention programs. We also discuss the state of political extremism with the upcoming 2024 elections. InstagramThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) • Instagram photos and videosThreadThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) on ThreadsRoyce A. Hutson Literature Review Preventing Violent Extremism and Social Work: Recent US History and Prospects | Journal of Human Rights and Social Work (springer.com)Recommended Episodes The Evolution of Far-Right Terrorism in the 21st Century w/ Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware (buzzsprout.com) 

Send us Fan MailOn today's episode, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Pierre joins me to discuss the psychosocial elements that contributed to the susceptibility of the QAnon movement, and the varying degrees of convictions held by Q followers. We explore what the future might hold for QAnon as a potential Trump presidency slowly creeps back into power. InstagramThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) • Instagram photos and videosThreadThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) on ThreadsDr. Joseph Pierre Twitter/WebsiteJoe Pierre, MD - psychunseen.bsky.social (@psychunseen) / X (twitter.com)Joe Pierre, MD (drjoepierre.com)Book: The Social Science of QAnonAmazon.com: The Social Science of QAnon: 9781009055024: Miller, Monica K.: BooksRecommended Episodes QAnon: A Psychiatric Assessment of a Delusion Like Belief w/ Dr. Brian Holoyda (buzzsprout.com)Here Comes the Storm: The Origins of QAnon w/ Mike Rothschild (buzzsprout.com)

Send us Fan MailOn today's episode, Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware counterterrorism experts from the Council on Foreign Relations stop by to discuss their new book "God, Guns, and Sedition: Far Right Terrorism in America." which tracks the history of white supremacy from the Reconstruction era all the way to the modern-day America.  They offer policy suggestions on how to combat the rise of political extremism and their thoughts into the state of democracy with the upcoming 2024 election. InstagramThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) • Instagram photos and videosThreadThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) on ThreadsBruce Hoffman & Jacob Wear BookGod, Guns, and Sedition | Council on Foreign Relations (cfr.org)Recommended ReadingsThe Third Generation of Online Radicalization | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University (gwu.edu)Recommended Episodes Undercover within the New Face of White Supremacy w/ Matson & Tawni Browning (buzzsprout.com)Here Comes the Storm: The Origins of QAnon w/ Mike Rothschild (buzzsprout.com)QAnon: A Psychiatric Assessment of a Delusion Like Belief w/ Dr. Brian Holoyda (buzzsprout.com)How the Far-Right hijacked the Wellness Movement w/ Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker (buzzsprout.com)The Great Replacement Conspiracy Theory & The Reaction from the Republican Establishment (buzzsprout.com)

Send us Fan MailOn today's episode, Matson and Tawni Browning join to discuss their 2023 book "The Hate Next Door: Undercover within the New Face of White Supremacy," which documents their experience going undercover as white political extremists infiltrating hate groups such as the National Alliance and Unit 88. They offer some reasons why people joined white supremacy groups and advice to help anyone falling down the rabbit hole of hate. InstagramThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) • Instagram photos and videosThreadThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) on ThreadsSubstackThe Social Chemist | SubstackMatson and Tawni WebsiteThe Hate Next Door | Matt&Tawni Browning (mattandtawni.com)Escaping PolygamyWatch Escaping Polygamy Full Episodes, Video & More | Lifetime (mylifetime.com)Other Social Chemist EpisodesWhat Is A Conspiracy Theorist? w/ Aoife Gallagher (buzzsprout.com)A New Era in Disinformation: AI Generated Imagery w/ Todd C. Helmus (buzzsprout.com)Here Comes the Storm: The Origins of QAnon w/ Mike Rothschild (buzzsprout.com)QAnon: A Psychiatric Assessment of a Delusion Like Belief w/ Dr. Brian Holoyda (buzzsprout.com)

Send us Fan MailOn today's episode, DeMario Phipps-Smith, a Senior Manager of Community Learning at the News Literacy Project, joins me to discuss news media literacy. As AI technology evolves at a fast pace, scholars on misinformation wonder how this will change our understanding of false narratives. What role do educators have in this social problem, and what tools can be used? The discussion will help us better understand this complex issue and offer resources to help combat disinformation. FacebookThe Social Chemist | FacebookInstagramThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) • Instagram photos and videosTwitterThe Social Chemist | TwitterThreadThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) on ThreadsSubstackThe Social Chemist | Substack Educator ResourcesNews Literacy ProjectDeMario Phipps-Smith DeMario Phipps-Smith | LinkedInRecommended Social Chemist EpisodeA New Era in Disinformation: AI Generated Imagery w/ Todd C. Helmus (buzzsprout.com)

Send us Fan MailOn today's episode, Matthew Facciani a sociologist at the University of Notre Dame in the Computer Science and Engineering department joins me to discuss how negative vaccine attitudes don't necessarily tell us about public health behaviors. We touch upon whether government regulations of social media to mitigate misinformation are effective and other strategies in reducing conspiracy theory consumption. Lastly, we talk about his first book "Misguided: Where Misinformation starts, how it spreads, and what to do about it" and the central theme of his work. FacebookThe Social Chemist | FacebookInstagramThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) • Instagram photos and videosTwitterThe Social Chemist | TwitterThreadThe Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) on ThreadsSubstackThe Social Chemist | Substack Matthew Facciani Profile/Literature Review Matthew FaccianiMatthew Facciani (@matthewfacciani) on ThreadsPolitical network composition predicts vaccination attitudes - ScienceDirectRecommended Social Chemist EpisodesDo Liberal Conspiracy Theories Exist in Contemporary Politics? w/ Ph.D. Benjamin Dow (buzzsprout.com)

Send us Fan MailOn today's episode, Todd C. Helmus, a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, joins me to talk about how AI-generated imagery will change how mis and disinformation is created and disseminated. We discussed how effective regulating this technology will be in mitigating propaganda and political extremism and whether it will alter how researchers in fake news understand this issue.   Facebook The Social Chemist | Facebook Instagram The Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) • Instagram photos and videos Twitter The Social Chemist | Twitter Substack The Social Chemist | Substack Todd C. Helmus Profiles Todd C. Helmus - Profile | RAND  Todd Helmus (@Helmus) / X (twitter.com) Todd C. Helmus Article Artificial Intelligence, Deepfakes, and Disinformation: A Primer | RAND Recommend Social Chemist Episode  How Susceptible are you to Misinformation? w/ Dr Rakoen Maertens (buzzsprout.com) 

Send us Fan MailOn today's episode, I am joined by conspiracy theory researcher and QAnon expert, Mike Rothschild. We explore the origins of QAnon, whether mental health practitioners have a role in addressing far-right conspiracy theories and assess the conspiratorial framework of the Q movement based on his 2021 book "The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became A Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything." We conclude our discussion by speaking about his third book, which will be released on September 19th, titled “Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories”. A book that explores how one Jewish family --the Rothschilds--became a lightning rod for conspiracy theories in the last two centuries. Facebook The Social Chemist | Facebook Instagram The Social Chemist (@socialchemistig) • Instagram photos and videos Twitter The Social Chemist | Twitter SubstackThe Social Chemist | Substack Mike Rothchild Website/Twitter Select Media Appearances, 2020-2023 – Mike Rothschild (themikerothschild.com)  Mike Rothschild (no relation) (@rothschildmd) / X (twitter.com) Mike Rothchild Books  Amazon.com: The World's Worst Conspiracies: 9781789509328: Rothschild, Mike: Books  Amazon.com: The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything: 9781612199290: Rothschild, Mike: Books  Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories: Rothschild, Mike: 9781685890643: Amazon.com: Books Recommended Social Chemist Episodes QAnon: A Psychiatric Assessment of a Delusion Like Belief w/ Dr. Brian Holoyda (buzzsprout.com) How the Far-Right hijacked the Wellness Movement w/ Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker (buzzsprout.com)The Conspiratorial State Of The Republican Party w/ Sam Faldraga (buzzsprout.com) Antisemitism: The Conspiracy Theory of the Enemy Above (buzzsprout.com) 

Join Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker, a Senior Lecturer in Sociology from the University of London specializing in medical misinformation, as she delves into the origins and evolution of the Wellness Movement in the U.S. Discover how far-right ideologies have infiltrated wellness culture and the rise of micro-celebrities who profit from misinformation. Dr. Baker underscores the critical need for reliable health advice amidst rising distrust in institutions and explores the perilous overlap of spiritual seekers and conspiracy theories. A must-listen for anyone navigating health information today!