The Other Pandemic: How QAnon Contaminated the World

Description

A talk followed by a QnA with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist James Ball!

About The Other Pandemic: How QAnon Contaminated the World

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist James Ball takes them into the depths of the internet to trace the origins and rapid ascent of QAnon, the movement that mutated from a niche online conspiracy theory into the world's first digital pandemic.

Imagine a deadly pathogen that, once created, could infect any person in any part of the globe within seconds. No need to wait for travellers, trains, or air traffic to spread it, all you need is an internet connection. In this gripping investigation, Pulitzer Prize winner James Ball decodes the cryptic language of the online right and with a surgeon's precision tracks the spread of QAnon, the world's first digital pandemic.

QAnon began as an internet community dedicated to supporting President Trump and intent on outing a global cabal of human traffickers. A short, cryptic message posted by an anonymous user to a niche internet forum in 2017 was the spark that ignited a global movement. What started as a macabre game of virtual make-believe quickly spiralled into the spread of virulently hateful, dangerous messaging – which turned into tragic, violent actions.

Incoherent, chaotic, free from agendas: QAnon is a one-size-fits all cult conspiracy. From a standoff at the Hoover Dam, to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on 6 January 2021, to protesting COVID-19 lockdowns, this digital pandemic has spread globally and shows no signs of stopping. In The Other Pandemic Ball takes them into the niche pathways through which these digital pathogens spread, mutate and infect people all across the globe – but he also argues that the prognosis doesn't have to be dire. He shows them that it is possible to treat and cure this virus in order to build up their digital immune systems, and be better prepared to survive the next wave.

Date

Thu 6th Mar 2025
 from 7:00pm to 8:00pm

Location

Books on the Rise
80 Hill Rise
Richmond
London
TW10 6UB

Prices

Standard Ticket: £9.99
Other price options
General Admission + Book: £14.99
Concessions: £3.99

Contact and Booking Details

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Disclaimer

The information and prices in this listing are presumed to be correct at the time of publishing, but please always check with the venue before making a special trip.

All images are supplied by the exhibition organiser.

Books on the Rise
80 Hill Rise
Richmond
London
TW10 6UB

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