In an era of rampant misinformation and conspiracy theories amplified by social media, one of the most devastating consequences is the strain on personal relationships. Family members are left bewildered by the changes in loved ones, and some turn to Reddit for support.
The subreddit r/QAnonCasualties is a place for those worried about family members being taken in by QAnon, one of the most pervasive conspiracy theories online.
In one discussion, a poster described their frustration with a parent who insisted that the volcanoes in the Cascades mountain range were about to erupt without prior warning.
"I tried to reassure them that volcano eruptions would give strong signs ahead of time. I wonder what the source of this nonsense is," they wrote.
The comments expressed agreement and the shared frustration of trying to get through to individuals unwilling to listen.
One commented: "And you're entirely right. Cascade volcanoes can be explosive, but we would absolutely get warning signs. I get so tired as well from people around me not listening to reason about different subjects."
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Another pointed out an instance from the area where a prior warning was given long before the eruption took place in 1980: "Even when Mt. St. Helens erupted in the 80s, everyone was told to evacuate well in advance."
The commenter was referring to the 1980 volcano eruption in Washington. Warning signs appeared more than two months before the main eruption, but not all of the experts' recommendations were followed.
The response became politicized, and then-governor Dixy Lee Ray dismissed requests to expand the red danger zone at the behest of scientists. Fifty-seven people died, and contrary to Ray's claims at the time, most were not there illegally, per American Scientist. Had the eruption taken place on a weekday, the death toll could have been in the hundreds.
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Increased instances of extreme weather events in recent years have coincided with more conspiracy theories. Hurricane season in 2024 was met with false claims the disasters were deliberately engineered.
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As family members struggle to make sense of it all — which is understandable amid challenging times — one of the explanations for why some public personalities push conspiracy theories is also the simplest: As one commenter pointed out, there's a lot of money to be made in pushing conspiracy theories.
"They just want an excuse to buy a bunch of prepper stuff. … Im sure there is a good chunk of money to be made from these people," they said.
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