title: Conspiratoria - the Internet and the Logic of Conspiracy Theory

authors: Ballinger, Dean Ross

subjects: conspiracy theory

abstract: This thesis is a theoretical investigation of the relationships between the logic of conspiracy theory and the Internet. It argues that the Internet can be conceptualised as a technocultural space conducive to the development of conspiracy belief and practice. Critical discourses regarding the relationships between mainstream media and the Internet are discussed as constituting the main points of connection between conspiracy theory and the Internet. With reference to radical discourses of media power, the study first considers conspiracy theorist’s conceptions of mainstream media as a site of conspiratorial control, and their configuration of the Internet as a medium which operates as a countervailing influence to mainstream media power. The study then considers cyber-cultural discourses, such as those of the second media age, that articulate the Internet as a site of democratic empowerment, and how these resonate with the democratic ideas that, in distorted forms, constitute key aspects of conspiracist belief. These two major discursive themes – the Internet as a counteractive force to mainstream media power, and the Internet as a site of democratic empowerment – are then discussed as forming the basis for radical configurations of the Internet as an alternative medium. The study then shifts into an examination of the Internet’s configuration as an alternative public sphere, and argues that this configuration constitutes the most significant point of connection between the Internet and the logic of conspiracy theory as the alternative principles of opposition to mainstream media and radical democratic activity correspond to central ideas of conspiracist thought. This argument is developed further through a discussion of alternative news practices, and the ways in which conspiracy theorists appropriate such practices as a means of legitimating their extremist beliefs within the alternative public sphere. A case study of the conspiracy news site Rense.com is then presented as an illustration of this appropriation-legitimation dynamic in action. The study concludes by arguing that the Internet does constitute a ‘conspiratorium’ for conspiracy theorists in relation to the ideas outlined above, and that conspiracy theory can – ironically – be seen as a major embodiment of the dominant technologically deterministic discourses that articulate the Internet as a ‘revolutionary’ technology. The arguments presented in this study are developed with reference to direct examples of online conspiracy theory beliefs and practices. Major theoretical bases for the study include the work of Atton (2004) on alternative media; Curran’s (2002) discussions of media power; Holmes’ (2005) and Mosco’s (2004) overviews of the cyber-utopian perspectives that have shaped the development of the Internet; and Keane’s (1991) work on the media and democracy.

text: Conspiratoria - the Internet and the Logic of Conspiracy Theory This thesis is a theoretical investigation of the relationships between the logic of conspiracy theory and the Internet. It argues that the Internet can be conceptualised as a technocultural space conducive to the development of conspiracy belief and practice. Critical discourses regarding the relationships between mainstream media and the Internet are discussed as constituting the main points of connection between conspiracy theory and the Internet. With reference to radical discourses of media power, the study first considers conspiracy theorist’s conceptions of mainstream media as a site of conspiratorial control, and their configuration of the Internet as a medium which operates as a countervailing influence to mainstream media power. The study then considers cyber-cultural discourses, such as those of the second media age, that articulate the Internet as a site of democratic empowerment, and how these resonate with the democratic ideas that, in distorted forms, constitute key aspects of conspiracist belief. These two major discursive themes – the Internet as a counteractive force to mainstream media power, and the Internet as a site of democratic empowerment – are then discussed as forming the basis for radical configurations of the Internet as an alternative medium. The study then shifts into an examination of the Internet’s configuration as an alternative public sphere, and argues that this configuration constitutes the most significant point of connection between the Internet and the logic of conspiracy theory as the alternative principles of opposition to mainstream media and radical democratic activity correspond to central ideas of conspiracist thought. This argument is developed further through a discussion of alternative news practices, and the ways in which conspiracy theorists appropriate such practices as a means of legitimating their extremist beliefs within the alternative public sphere. A case study of the conspiracy news site Rense.com is then presented as an illustration of this appropriation-legitimation dynamic in action. The study concludes by arguing that the Internet does constitute a ‘conspiratorium’ for conspiracy theorists in relation to the ideas outlined above, and that conspiracy theory can – ironically – be seen as a major embodiment of the dominant technologically deterministic discourses that articulate the Internet as a ‘revolutionary’ technology. The arguments presented in this study are developed with reference to direct examples of online conspiracy theory beliefs and practices. Major theoretical bases for the study include the work of Atton (2004) on alternative media; Curran’s (2002) discussions of media power; Holmes’ (2005) and Mosco’s (2004) overviews of the cyber-utopian perspectives that have shaped the development of the Internet; and Keane’s (1991) work on the media and democracy.

year: 2011

title: Grotesque Inversions On Stage, In Film: Horrid Yet Curious, Fascinating Yet Alarming

authors: Dellow, Delwyn Rae

subjects: Grotesque Theatre

abstract: Grotesque theatre is not a genre but a style of theatre made up of many strands which has been employed over many centuries beginning in Ancient Greece, particularly with Aristophanes and moving through time to the present.  François Rabelais recognised the grotesque in Church Feasts, Festivals, Guild performances, sotties and farces.  This thesis investigates through theatre and film the seven strands Bakhtin identifies:  grotesque image, abusive language, grotesque madness, scatalogical humour, light, reversals and the lower bodily stratum (1984, pp. 24-41).  In particular the thesis traces inversions in both theatre and film.  These two mediums have been selected to compare and contrast the use of the grotesque in each, as they share two strong commonalities in acting and the requirement of scripts.  

	Each chapter of this thesis deals with a script, and the last two chapters  incorporate the use of a movie for contrast.  The Introduction introduces the grotesque, offering an explanation of the styles of the grotesque as defined by Mikhail Bakhtin and Philip Thomson.  Examples are shown in pictures.  Chapter one explores two plays written by Eugene Ionesco:   Amedée or How to Get Rid of It, and Rhinoceros.  Chapter two moves back through time to Aristophanes' Lysistrata and explores the power women's bodies might have when men are in need.  The third chapter investigates The Roaring Girl, written by Middleton and Dekker.  This delves into the life of the character Moll Cutpurse and shows why Moll chose to dress as a man.  Chapters four and five deal with the fantasy and the gothic elements in Frankenstein and Dracula respectively:  focusing on bodily transformations; as well as the treatment of the monster and Dracula by society,  and their treatment in turn of society.  

	The grotesque is an intriguing style of theatre because it deals essentially with human nature and the human body in its imperfect and ever-changing form.  The grotesque therefore lends itself to horror, comedy and exaggeration making it a style which does not have to be limited by strict parameters.  The grotesque can be successfully woven into other genres such as the gothic or the absurd giving it even greater dimensions in storytelling, staging and special effects.  Human beings are often torn between the gory or visually disturbing whilst needing the safety of the normal and acceptable.  The grotesque offers both, which can make a scintillating piece of entertainment by fulfilling our needs at both ends of the emotional spectrum.  Grotesque theatre therefore by its very nature is a style which will continue to exist so long as it keeps its patrons in suspense.

text: Grotesque Inversions On Stage, In Film: Horrid Yet Curious, Fascinating Yet Alarming Grotesque theatre is not a genre but a style of theatre made up of many strands which has been employed over many centuries beginning in Ancient Greece, particularly with Aristophanes and moving through time to the present.  François Rabelais recognised the grotesque in Church Feasts, Festivals, Guild performances, sotties and farces.  This thesis investigates through theatre and film the seven strands Bakhtin identifies:  grotesque image, abusive language, grotesque madness, scatalogical humour, light, reversals and the lower bodily stratum (1984, pp. 24-41).  In particular the thesis traces inversions in both theatre and film.  These two mediums have been selected to compare and contrast the use of the grotesque in each, as they share two strong commonalities in acting and the requirement of scripts.  

	Each chapter of this thesis deals with a script, and the last two chapters  incorporate the use of a movie for contrast.  The Introduction introduces the grotesque, offering an explanation of the styles of the grotesque as defined by Mikhail Bakhtin and Philip Thomson.  Examples are shown in pictures.  Chapter one explores two plays written by Eugene Ionesco:   Amedée or How to Get Rid of It, and Rhinoceros.  Chapter two moves back through time to Aristophanes' Lysistrata and explores the power women's bodies might have when men are in need.  The third chapter investigates The Roaring Girl, written by Middleton and Dekker.  This delves into the life of the character Moll Cutpurse and shows why Moll chose to dress as a man.  Chapters four and five deal with the fantasy and the gothic elements in Frankenstein and Dracula respectively:  focusing on bodily transformations; as well as the treatment of the monster and Dracula by society,  and their treatment in turn of society.  

	The grotesque is an intriguing style of theatre because it deals essentially with human nature and the human body in its imperfect and ever-changing form.  The grotesque therefore lends itself to horror, comedy and exaggeration making it a style which does not have to be limited by strict parameters.  The grotesque can be successfully woven into other genres such as the gothic or the absurd giving it even greater dimensions in storytelling, staging and special effects.  Human beings are often torn between the gory or visually disturbing whilst needing the safety of the normal and acceptable.  The grotesque offers both, which can make a scintillating piece of entertainment by fulfilling our needs at both ends of the emotional spectrum.  Grotesque theatre therefore by its very nature is a style which will continue to exist so long as it keeps its patrons in suspense.

year: 2012

title: COVID-19 and blind spaces: Responding to digital (in)accessibility and social isolation during lockdown for blind, deafblind, low vision, and vision impaired persons in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Graham, Rebekah Sarah

abstract: In this chapter we, as Indigenous (Māori) and non-Indigenous (Pākehā) academics, practitioners, and disability advocates critically examine the experiences of people who are blind, deafblind, low vision and vision impaired (BLV) during the COVID-19 lockdown of Aotearoa New Zealand. We pay particular attention to the ways in which access (or lack thereof) to digital spaces facilitated experiences of social inclusion (and exclusion). Digital connectivity was heavily relied upon during lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand to disseminate health information and to connect people socially. The use of digital technologies during lockdown extended the interpersonal space of the home beyond the physicality of the urban home people were confined to, drawing people together across the country and creating a sense of shared experience. However, these experiences were not shared equally across the citizenry. Conversations during lockdown with disability advocates and practitioners working with BLV persons identified that. For example, the government website on COVID19 was initially inaccessible for BLV persons and there were assumptions of digital accessibility and literacy within the domestic space of the home. Taken together, these exacerbated existing inequities for BLV persons, some of whom experience multiple domains of exclusion (for example, Indigenous BLV persons with reduced access to services and for whom English is their second language). Drawing on Lefebvre’s (1991) work on the dialectics of space and Lewin’s (1936/2013) construction of the life-space, we consider the interplay of space and experience with regards to the digital and physical space(s) available and inhabited during the shared social experience of lockdown. We discuss possibilities for co-creating socially inclusive (digital) spaces of belonging that reflect and refract life-space relational connections across social groups. Our reflections on the lockdown experience include opportunities post-pandemic for policy makers and practitioners to address digital accessibility inequities.

text: COVID-19 and blind spaces: Responding to digital (in)accessibility and social isolation during lockdown for blind, deafblind, low vision, and vision impaired persons in Aotearoa New Zealand In this chapter we, as Indigenous (Māori) and non-Indigenous (Pākehā) academics, practitioners, and disability advocates critically examine the experiences of people who are blind, deafblind, low vision and vision impaired (BLV) during the COVID-19 lockdown of Aotearoa New Zealand. We pay particular attention to the ways in which access (or lack thereof) to digital spaces facilitated experiences of social inclusion (and exclusion). Digital connectivity was heavily relied upon during lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand to disseminate health information and to connect people socially. The use of digital technologies during lockdown extended the interpersonal space of the home beyond the physicality of the urban home people were confined to, drawing people together across the country and creating a sense of shared experience. However, these experiences were not shared equally across the citizenry. Conversations during lockdown with disability advocates and practitioners working with BLV persons identified that. For example, the government website on COVID19 was initially inaccessible for BLV persons and there were assumptions of digital accessibility and literacy within the domestic space of the home. Taken together, these exacerbated existing inequities for BLV persons, some of whom experience multiple domains of exclusion (for example, Indigenous BLV persons with reduced access to services and for whom English is their second language). Drawing on Lefebvre’s (1991) work on the dialectics of space and Lewin’s (1936/2013) construction of the life-space, we consider the interplay of space and experience with regards to the digital and physical space(s) available and inhabited during the shared social experience of lockdown. We discuss possibilities for co-creating socially inclusive (digital) spaces of belonging that reflect and refract life-space relational connections across social groups. Our reflections on the lockdown experience include opportunities post-pandemic for policy makers and practitioners to address digital accessibility inequities.

year: 2021