Conspiracy Clickbait: Farming Facebook

Case Study 1: Farming Facebook

Authors: Elise Thomas
Published: 19 January 2022

This case study is one of three in the Conspiracy Clickbait series. It focuses on how a network of Facebook pages and groups linked to individuals in Vietnam appears to be using QAnon content in order to build up audiences of authentic US users.

A lucrative black market exists for secondhand Facebook pages and groups, and it seems likely that the ultimate goal of the network in this case study is to farm these digital assets and sell them on. The case study illustrates one business model by which commercially-motivated networks are amplifying conspiracy theories and disinformation for profit.

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