Online conspiracy theories and perceptions of institutional power: a study of the Flat Earth Society's Forum

Abstract

Purpose: This study explores the interplay between institutional distrust and political narratives within the Flat Earth Society's online forum. Specifically, it investigates how institutional authority is challenged and how former US President Donald Trump is portrayed by users in relation to conspiratorial discourse. Design/methodology/approach: Using data scraped from the forum spanning 2005--2024, a mixed-method analysis was conducted on over 2.5 m comments. Natural language processing (NLP) techniques were employed to identify common themes, bigrams and trigrams, providing a comprehensive understanding of the community's discourse. Findings: Results indicate a strong anti-institutional sentiment, with users frequently rejecting mainstream scientific knowledge and promoting their own "research." The forum also exhibits clear support for Trump, linking his rhetoric to broader conspiratorial worldviews. Originality/value: This research provides critical insights into how online conspiracy communities frame institutional authority, use political figures to legitimize their beliefs and influence discourse on trust, democracy and social cohesion in the digital age. By integrating computational and qualitative approaches, this study contributes to the understanding of the socio-political dynamics of digital conspiracy spaces.