Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect

by Mick West

Jenna Abrams was a popular figure on Twitter during the 2016 presidential campaign, amassing over 70,000 followers.1 Abrams, tweeting as @Jenn_Abrams, started out in 2014 with a constant stream of tweets that reflected the populist right-wing politics of a demographic that would end up being a core part of Donald Trump’s base. Her more popular tweets were increasingly retweeted by establishment figures like Donald Trump Jr. and Kellyanne Conway (then Trump’s campaign manager). The problem is Jenna Abrams never really existed. According to congressional investigators the account was in fact the creation of a Russian government-backed entity called the Internet Research Agency. Based in St. Petersburg, Russia, this agency employed hundreds of people with the goal of spreading information and misinformation that would undermine the US, and promote the interests of Russia.