What Draws Flat Earthers Together?

The Flat Earth theory is a very much out-of-date belief. Obviously, believing this theory would not be considered ‘mainstream’ in today’s modern society. The majority of people around the globe now point this out when talking about flat earthers because it seems like such a ridiculous thing to believe in. For the people who still do believe in the flat Earth theory, ‘flat earthers’, it is important to them to come together and connect regarding their shared belief.

Flat Earther’s Participation

So, what makes flat earthers come together as a community? Even though the flat Earth theory is over a thousand years old (clearly outdated), the flat Earth community is still alive and functioning in the 21st century. People who have a shared belief or have common interests tend to float together. Some of these people may use their involvement within their community for a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging. In Gretchen McCulloch’s book, Because Internet, she explains that people can be drawn together online when she says, “…we’ve ending up conducting a sizeable portion of our social lives online” (McCulloch 63). Due to increasing technology in our modern age, more people are spending their free time on the internet and on social media sites. So, it makes sense that people online would follow or subscribe to others who have the same interests as them.

Flat Earther’s Online Lives

On the Flat Earth Society page on Facebook, it seems as if members of this group are comfortable sharing their comments and voicing their own opinions on why they think it is absurd to believe that the Earth is round. One member, Aaron Macpherson, posted on April 10th that the ‘global Earth theory’ was fictional and anyone who believed that the Earth is round was “indoctrinated and brainwashed”. I think members like Aaron say their opinions online so boldly and confidently because they might not be able to share their thoughts in real life.

Other members use their knowledge or beliefs about the past to argue their point. Another member, Andy Haverland, shared a post on April 8th that was titled, ‘Does the Bible teach that the Earth is flat?’. In his post, he brought up his beliefs regarding Christianity and related it to why he believes that the Earth is not round.

In conclusion, the Flat Earth Society is still an active group of people mainly because of people online who are confident in sharing their thoughts and opinions in this public group. Flat Earthers are drawn to online groups because it is most likely difficult to find people in their local community that share the flat Earth belief.