Armchair detectives and the social construction of falsehoods: an actor–network approach

ABSTRACT

This paper examines two large-scale cases ‒ the 2013 Boston bombing and the 2015 Bangkok bombing, each of which spurred an online investigation conducted by concerned citizens to find the bombers. While both bombing cases had different cultural discourses, the processes and outcomes of the online investigation were similar: there were rampant speculation and rumor-mongering, as well as false accusations and harassment of innocent suspects. The aim of the paper is to understand how such acts of mob justice happened. Using actor–network theory, a theoretical and methodological tool for mapping out the networks human and non-human interactions, I discuss two types of networks found in both investigations. The two network types demonstrate how a claim can be construed as fact or fiction through such networks of interaction. In light of debates on the proliferation of fake news and alternative facts, the findings have implications for the current and precarious state of truth in today’s society.

KEYWORDS:

• Collective intelligence
• computer-mediated communication
• Web 2.0
• collective action
• social media
• actor–network theory

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Penn Pantumsinchai is a Sociology lecturer within the University of Hawaii system. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her research interests include the internet (online communities, social media), consumption, and social justice issues. She is a co-host of The Social Breakdown podcast (thesocialbreakdown.com) [email: [email protected]].

Notes

1 Reddit, the self-proclaimed ‘front page of the internet’ is a social news aggregator where people can submit content to be discussed and ranked by the community (Reddit, 2016).

2 Subreddits are interest-based communities and are demarcated by [r/subreddit-title].

3 ‘Doxxing’ or document tracing is the act of looking up personal information (either through legal or illegal means) and then posting said information online.

4 A discussion board similar to Reddit and one of the most popular websites in Thailand (Hongladarom, 2000).

5 The downtown intersection where the Erawan Shrine is located.

6 The terms ‘actors’ and ‘actants’ are used interchangeably as is common in various ANT research (Nakajima, 2013).

7 Khaek as a standalone word is often used to refer to ethnic Indians, while khao is the color white. Combined, it is a phrase used to refer to light-skinned Muslims from South and Central Asia or the Middle East.