Rescue from the internet rabbit hole

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/12/2024 (477 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Until recently, Lewis Carroll’s “rabbit hole” was a metaphor for getting interested in something to the point of distraction.

These days, however, it refers to a sinister descent into a world of negativity, extremism and conspiratorial beliefs with consequences ranging from estrangement from friends and family through to political violence.

A question that arises is, who is at risk for falling down the rabbit hole? Certain people, it seems, are vulnerable to an internet which employs algorithms of inflammatory content, misinformation, us-versus-them thinking and emotion over facts. While in this distorted information environment, the user interacts with like-minded people who strengthen, rather than challenge, their emerging beliefs.

The result can be a radical transformation in a person’s identity and the way they perceive the world. At one extreme, there is the case of the North Carolina gunman who terrorized a Washington pizza restaurant because he thought they were harbouring child sex slaves. A more typical example is the person who begins to believe that “the elites and the mainstream media” are committing crimes against humanity as it pertains to the information flow regarding abortion, vaccines, immigration, “the LBGT movement,” the Middle East War, voter registration, the environment, etc.

These individuals surface with new identities such as pro-Trumpers, pro-Palestinians, environmentalists and right-wing extremists.

Indeed, being in the rabbit hole becomes functional in that it meets their needs for identity, recognition, attention, importance and group solidarity.

The psychology of the rabbit hole warrants further study. When push comes to shove, rabbit-hole adherents are quick to wrap themselves in the warm robe of moral superiority and righteous indignation. The result is an invective that is divisive, hateful and judgmental. Anger and moral certainty are a dangerous combination.

Those who are vulnerable to going down a rabbit hole have powerful role models and leaders who are pulling them from a more moderate middle of the road belief system. These leaders say, “don’t trust the media.” Donald Trump, for example, has coined the insidious term “fake news” and has called journalists all kinds of vile names.

Nathaniel Veltman, who murdered four Muslims in London, Ont., said he went “straight down the rabbit hole” after doing research around the 2016 election of Trump.

Trump and others have stoked the fires of animosity through their use of pejorative words and language. Words are powerful, especially when weaponized to hurt and offend people.

Words like loser, sucker, traitors, dangerous radicals, Mexican rapists, the deep state, genocide, wokeism and critical race theory enable vulnerable people to go down rabbit holes, distance themselves from humanity and emerge with nefarious agendas.

Such agendas employ impressive-sounding terms meant to further their goals like peace-loving, freedom, truth, family, respect, decency and choice. These words, however, belie the rabbit-hole agenda, which is to create scapegoats and divisions and move us toward an autocratic style of government,

Lewis Carroll created an expression 150 years ago that has morphed into a significant challenge for contemporary culture. How do we address the complexity of the rabbit-hole phenomenon?

There is no doubt we must recognize that there are those who go down rabbit holes as a matter of choice.

For others, however, we need to introduce the antidotes, which are critical thinking, humility, empathy and doubt, instead of moral certainty. Additionally, we can ask them if this is who they are and who they want to be. We could ask if they really want to pay the price related to being estranged from family and friends.

If they are motivated, we can point out that there are alternative sources of information that they can consult in their quest to exit the rabbit hole. And we can affirm our shared humanity; we are in this together.

» Mac Horsburgh is a retired counsellor who lives in Winnipeg. This column previously appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press.