Repetition, Rumination, and Determinism: Exploring the Temporal Logic of QAnon

This article seeks to trouble common theorizations of online dis- and misinformation as characterized predominantly by temporal logics of speed, acceleration, or virality by homing in on the case study of QAnon, a digital-born conspiracy movement, and excavating the specific and distinct temporalities that make up the timescape of this phenomenon. Via a content analysis of the 4,966 Q-drops that constitute the central texts of this movement, I put forth that the timescape of QAnon consists of intersecting dynamics of repetition, rumination, and determinism, which broadly give rise to a temporality of slowness or stasis. I argue that this distinct temporality plays a role in coalescing QAnon participants into a political community via the construction of a shared “world” and shared affective investments. I conclude with a discussion of the potential application of temporality as an analytic through which we can bring into relief connections between conspiratorial thinking and other cultural phenomena.