What Is QAnon, the Viral Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theory? - The New York Times

once a fringe phenomenon ... gone mainstream... trying to attach themselves to other activist causes ... poses a potential domestic terror threat... Last week ... avowed QAnon supporter ... won a Republican primary ... Mr. Trump called her a “future Republican star.”... here are some basic things you should know...

umbrella term ... conspiracy theories ... world is run by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles who are plotting against Mr. Trump ... recruited by top military generals ... to break up this criminal conspiracy...

Since ... incorporated elements of many other conspiracy theory ... assassination of John F. Kennedy... U.F.O.s... 9/11 “truther” movement... Pizzagate represented a kind of conspiracy theory on-ramp... None of Q's predictions came true. But most QAnon believers didn’t care... found ways to reframe the narrative ... moved on...

Facebook ... internal study ... thousands of QAnon groups, with millions of members between them... membership in 10 large Facebook groups [grew] by more than 600 percent since the start of lockdowns...

like a massive multiplayer online game... invites participants to cocreate ... shared reality ... recurring characters, shifting story lines and intricate puzzle-solving quests ... deeply participatory... Followers congregate ... decode the latest Q posts, discuss their theories ,,, and bond ...

Mr. Trump is the central and heroic figure ... has embraced the movement’s supporters ... declined to denounce or disavow ... has shared posts ... dozens of times ...