How Seniors Tumble Down Conspiracy Rabbit Holes
Older adults are especially prone to fake news, scams, and misinformation. Here’s why, and how to protect your loved ones
For five long decades, Doris and Dale shared a happy marriage — until Doris was sucked into the QAnon abyss.
It started with a cancer scare. Doris began visiting online alternative medicine sites that promised quick and easy cures. Gradually, she found herself falling deeper into the fringe.
Soon, she was spending six to eight hours a day doing her “computer research.” To Doris, it felt like a new calling in life — as a journalist, a detective, a watchdog, and a whistleblower — responsible for no less than saving all of humanity.
Doris couldn’t help but share her online discoveries with her husband. But he couldn’t embrace her claims, and the tension mounted. The two began arguing in ways they never had before.
For Dale, the result was soul-crushing. Each of them began leading separate lives from opposite ends of their 1,200-square-foot home. Making matters worse was the fact that Doris’ Facebook posts had offended their longtime mutual friends, who severed ties with Dale as well.
