Abstract

This study investigates how COVID-19-related content, especially conspiracy theories, is communicated on “dark platforms” — digital platforms that are less regulated and moderated, hence can be used for hosting content and content creators that may not be tolerated by their more mainstream counterparts. The objective of this study is two-fold: First, it introduces the concept of dark platforms, which differ from their mainstream counterparts in terms of content governance, user-base and technological infrastructure. Second, using 8kun and Gab as examples, this study investigates how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been communicated on dark platforms, with a focus on conspiracy theories. Over 60,000 COVID-19-related posts were studied to identify the most prominent conspiracy theories, their themes, and the actors who promoted them, as well as the broader information ecosystem through network analysis. While pressure on social media to deplatform conspiracy theorists continues to grow, we argue that more research needs to be done to critically investigate the impacts of further marginalizing such groups. To this end, the concept of dark platform as can serve as a heuristic device for researching a wider range of fringe platforms.

摘要

这项研究调查了与 COVID-19 相关的内容，尤其是阴谋论，是如何在“黑暗平台”上传播的——数字平台的监管和监管较少，因此可用于托管内容和内容创作者可能无法容忍的内容。主流同行。这项研究的目的有两个：首先，它引入了黑暗平台的概念，它在内容治理、用户基础和技术基础设施方面不同于主流平台。其次，以 8kun 和 Gab 为例，本研究调查了正在进行的 COVID-19 大流行是如何在黑暗平台上传播的，重点是阴谋论。研究了超过 60,000 个与 COVID-19 相关的帖子，以确定最突出的阴谋论、它们的主题以及推动它们的演员，以及通过网络分析更广泛的信息生态系统。虽然社交媒体对阴谋论者的平台化压力不断增加，但我们认为需要做更多的研究来批判性地调查进一步边缘化这些群体的影响。为此，暗平台的概念可以作为一种启发式设备，用于研究更广泛的边缘平台。