Communication within the Flat Earth Community

Since most of the Flat Earth community can be located on Facebook, the majority of their language is informal and casual. Members of the flat earth society discussion group use slang, memes, and casual conversation to converse and relate with each other. However, more formal, or sophisticated language can be found within this group when one looks through upload files or the rules stated on the home page.

Flat Earth Society Slang

One particular slang word from this community that stood out was ‘glober(s)’. This word is used to describe people outside their community, or people who believe the Earth is round. I first noticed this slang word when I was browsing through discussion posts and someone, who was a glober, commented something about the Earth being round. A member of the Flat Earth Society made their own post referring to the glober’s statement and said, “One of the Globers posted this in a comment section… Look at their confidence level, I mean seriously u do believe in this S***????”.

Many members of this group tend to relate to each other by mocking the globers. Therefore, most posts regarding people who believe the Earth is round are sarcastic and informal because they use their version of slang.

Formal Facebook Posts?

Although the majority of discussions within this Facebook group are written in an informal tone, formal tones can first be seen in the ‘About’ section of the group. This section gives an overview of the group and also lays out a few ground rules for members or visitors. For example, a formal tone can be detected in the rules: “Please keep the conversations within this group in this group. Do not screenshot posts in this group and contact member’s families, friends, or employers. This could lead to expulsion from the group”. Obviously, there is no slang or casual tone detected within these rules. This demonstrates that although the majority of posts and discussions in this group are casual, this group still takes their fellow members seriously and expects them to uphold the rules and regulations of the Flat Earth Society.

Further Communication

Not only do Flat Earth members use informal posts and discussions to communicate with each other, but they also frequently use images, such as memes and visual models, to share their ideas and relate to each other on a different level.

An example of a Flat Earth model shown below:

(Shared by Frane Bucar, 16 March 2021)

These media images and models are shared quite often to better explain or exemplify someone’s idea. The media tab for this Facebook group is filled with thousands of pictures and videos related to the conspiracy that the Earth is flat.

Membership

The Flat Earth Society is a public group, meaning anyone can view and anyone can join. This group is accepting, and they actively spread ideas about their topic. The ‘About’ section even states that all are welcomed. Overall, this Facebook group tends to be inclusive.

Al Sheikh Ghaznavi, Glober Slang Comment, Flat Earth Society Facebook group, 1 January 2021.

‘About’ Page, Rules and Regulations, Flat Earth Society, Public Facebook group.