Digital platforms broke mainstream media’s power to marginalize fringe theories

Evidence

The internet’s promise of access to unfiltered information also tilled fertile soil for conspiracy theorists. In 2005, the crudely made documentary Loose Change exploded onto the web, offering an alternative narrative for the 9/11 attacks. The film argued that the Twin Towers were brought down by pre-planted explosives rather than hijacked planes. This popularized the phrase “Jet fuel can’t melt steel beams,” which became a banner phrase to describe all internet conspiracy theories. Initially dismissed by mainstream media, Loose Change attracted a large audience online, spreading across forums and social networks to millions, including filmmakers David Lynch and Kevin Smith, and celebrities Rosie O’Donnell and Charlie Sheen. In the past, mainstream media could fully marginalize such fringe theories, but digital platforms allowed their advocates to create compelling content that sat alongside more orthodox material. Digital technology also made it easy to update the content. The makers of Loose Change frequently re-edited the film with new information and improved special effects. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 183

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: how updatable, editable conspiracy content (Loose Change re-edited repeatedly) is a native internet artifact that print-era disinformation could not replicate.
• XREF: connects to: The Internet emboldens fringe believers by confirming isolated views — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 148