https://www.justsecurity.org/74622/stopthesteal-timeline-of-social-media-and-extremist-activities-leading-to-1-6-insurrection/
#StopTheSteal: Timeline of Social Media and Extremist Activities Leading to 1/6 Insurrection The insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was not spontaneous. The assault that unfolded as Congress convened a joint session to certify the victory of Joe Biden in the 2020 election was the direct result of a months-long effort rooted in disinformation; promoted by President Donald Trump; coordinated by some of his most fervent, conspiratorial supporters; and incorporating a wide range of supporting groups. The Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab constructed a timeline of key events, both online and offline, centered on the coordination of “Stop the Steal” efforts that escalated to violence and threatened the transition of power core to American democracy. Most of the material found in this report was posted in plain sight on social media platforms and online forums, designed to convince more Americans of falsehoods about the 2020 elections. The Stop the Steal movement was far from monolithic, though, and included groups across a spectrum of radicalization: hyperpartisan pro-Trump activists and media outlets; the neo-fascist Proud Boys, a group with chapters committed to racism and the promotion of street violence; unlawful militias from around the country with a high degree of command and control, including the so-called Three Percenters movement; adherents to the collective delusion of QAnon; individuals identifying with the Boogaloo Bois, a loosely organized anti-government group that has called for a second civil war; and ideological fellow travelers of the far-right, who wanted to witness something they believed would be spectacular. Each group overlapped but maintained distinct engagement — and coordination — online. Their melding accelerated with compounding crises throughout the election cycle, including protests in response to COVID-19 public health restrictions and counter-protests to the overwhelmingly peaceful racial justice protests over the summer of 2020. The convergence became complete around the Stop the Steal movement before and after Election Day, inexorably escalating toward the insurrection itself on Jan. 6. What bound these groups together across a spectrum of radicalization? Disinformation about the results of the 2020 election and extreme support of Trump, often amplified by Trump himself, which intensified the overall movement’s actions toward violence. Though the movement was unsuccessful in its ultimate goal of maintaining Trump’s power by explicitly anti-democratic means, it was successful in expanding the reach of election-related misinformation as well as hardening many Americans already on the path to radicalization or dangerous adherence to outright conspiracy theories. The latter is a long-term challenge of pervasive domestic extremism in the United States. < - > https://www.justsecurity.org/74622/stopthesteal-timeline-of-social-media-and-extremist-activities-leading-to-1-6-insurrection/ _______________________________________________ Infowarrior mailing list Infowarrior@attrition.org https://attrition.org/mailman/listinfo/infowarrior
