Connecting the domains: an investigation of internet domains found in Covid-19 conspiracy tweets

Abstract

AbstractConspiracy theories (CTs) have thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to spread on social media despite attempts at fact-checking. The isolation and fear associated with this pandemic likely contributed to the generation and spread of these theories. Another possible factor is the high rate of Twitter users linking to off-platform alternative news sources through URL sharing (Moffitt et al. 2021). In this paper, we compare URLs and their parent domains linked in CT and non-CT tweets. First, we searched the parent domains of URLs shared in conspiracy theory and non-conspiracy theory classified tweets for the presence of Google tracking codes. We then constructed meta-networks linking domains, tracking codes, and Twitter users to find connections between domains and evidence of an eco-system that may have contributed to the cultivation and spread of conspiracy theories during the pandemic.