Flood the Zone: How Tech Billionaires and Online Extremists Made Conspiracies Go Mainstream

From the Big Lie to vaccine denial, conspiracy theories are heavily monetized online and codified by the Trump administration. So how do we solve this reality crisis?

On the National Mall, as a severe storm bore down on Trump’s July Fourth celebration of America’s 250th birthday, Secret Service agents ordered the crowd to evacuate. Several hundred people refused. Some argued with the agents. A cluster of people ran back toward the stage. An officer repeated the order through a bullhorn; the crowd booed. Many started …