Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2025

Journal / Book Title

Popular Culture Studies Journal

Abstract

On November 28, 2023, X CEO Elon Musk posted a meme suggesting that the #pizzagate conspiracy had been suppressed by powerful forces complicit in the exploitation of children. The #pizzagate conspiracy presumed that elites had organized a ring serving pedophiles in the basement of a pizzeria in Washington D.C. The conspiracy was debunked in major news outlets with social media platforms such as Facebook banning such content, as well (BBC News). These efforts ultimately did not prevent #pizzagate from morphing into the QAnon conspiracy that would galvanize multiple extremist political movements (Bleakley). Specifically, however, #pizzagate as a discrete narrative was largely folded into the broader QAnon tapestry of conspiratorial content. A vigilante seeking to liberate captive children from the basement of the targeted pizzeria only to discover that the restaurant had no basement likely also strained the conspiracy’s credibility even in conspiratorial spaces (Trending). While #pizzagate gave way to evolving new conspiracy theories, the foundational element of #pizzagate is based on centuries-old myths about human trafficking. From blood libel to the Satanic Panic, the belief that some othered group is systemically abducting and abusing children has permeated its way into popular culture discourse. That foundational element of the #pizzagate myth suggests a cultural permanence that may allow the persistence of the conspiracy even after its initial fervor dissipates and even after its disproval. With a prominent figure such as Musk seeming to validate #pizzagate seven years after its first appearance, a compelling opportunity for study has been provided. Specifically, observing the frequency with which #pizzagate content appeared on a social media platform and comparing the number of instances that occurred after Musk’s post can provide context about how rapidly discarded myths can regain discourse space. To that end, this study will seek to answer the following research questions:

RQ1: Can older trafficking myths return to prominence in media spaces?

RQ2: To what extent do influential voices affect the legitimacy of trafficking myths?

RQ3: How rapidly can a dormant trafficking myth be revitalized in social media?

RQ4: How much reach does a trafficking myth have when it trends as a topic on social media?

Comments

This article is Open Access and distributed under a Creative Commons 4.0 license.

Journal ISSN / Book ISBN

E-ISSN: 2691-8617

Published Citation

Benton, B., & Peterka-Benton, D. (2025). Everything Old is Q Again: An Analysis of the Resurgent #PIZZAGATE Myth in Social Media. Popular Culture Studies Journal, 13(1), 68–87.

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