From the Fringe Web to Real Life: How Seriously Should We Be Taking Conspiracy Theories?

Question Everything

From the Fringe Web to Real Life: How Seriously Should We Be Taking Conspiracy Theories?

Clean

Published on May 8, 2025, 12:00:00 AM
Total time: 00:25:22

Episode Description

Back in December, we did an episode about Pyrra, an AI-powered software that tracks sifts through the far corners of the internet – in some places you probably haven’t even heard of – to see what narratives are emerging from the people who post there. A lot of these are conspiracy theories, and also violent threats.

 

This week, we check back in with the creator of that software, Dr. Welton Chang, about what narratives he’s seeing, right now, that might soon make the jump from fringe internet posts to actually having an impact in the real world. 

 

Welton’s especially concerned about the violent rhetoric aimed at one particular group of people which has been topping the charts in recent weeks.

 

Welton is the creator of Pyrra Technologies, and Vice President for Digital Intelligence Solutions at AlertMedia. 

 

Sign up for our newsletter: www.kcrw.com/questioneverything

 

“Question Everything” is a production of KCRW and Placement Theory.

 

More about Question Everything
Question Everything is a weekly investigation into how the truth gets buried, distorted, and denied -- and the ways people are fighting to make it matter again.
Hosted by Brian Reed, of S-Town and This American Life.
Winner of the Webby Award, Ambie Award, and a Signal Special Achievement Award for pushing "the boundaries of the medium."