Keywords
humour
digital ethnography
meme activism
COVID-19
Russo-Ukrainian war
How to Cite
Abstract
This article focuses on popular understandings of how to combat conspiracy theories. Our case study is an Estonian-language Facebook group, “Victory of Light! Continuation”, which was founded in the middle of the pandemic. This group exemplifies a case of social media activism, bringing together people dedicated to fighting disinformation by reporting on and trolling those who spread it. Based on online fieldwork and an interview with the group’s founder, the article explores the fight against COVID- and Ukraine-related misinformation, with humour being one of this group’s strategies. We also analyse how the group members identify themselves as a wholesome community and how they have unwittingly created a folk archive of conspiracy theories that are popular in Estonia. In addition to the perceptions of the group’s founders and members about how they succeed in combatting misinformation, we also consider those at the receiving end of this activity, who often see the situation as harassment and bullying.
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