Cover Letter

In writing this essay I intended to give my readers insight into the flat earth community through personal observations, while also providing information that helps propose an answer to my research question regarding the community. To begin this essay I began to conduct informal observations to determine what I would want to observe and include in my field notes. Afterwards I revisited the sites I wanted to record and visited them once more, this time using the observation field note worksheet.

Along the way I adjusted the way I was taking notes. At first I was using interpretation with each thing I was writing, but instead decided I should have a combination of both interpretation of observation, and purely just observation. I also realized throughout the process that I did not have to record every single thing, and that some things are more valuable to write down instead. In this way, I was able to develop my skills as a researcher while working on this essay. One way in which these skills have been shown is in having to make choices as stated previously, about what is valuable and what is not. I also developed my skills as a researcher by becoming more comfortable with inserting myself and my experience with an academic essay.

A course learning objective I accomplished through writing this essay is “negotiate your own writing goals and audience expectations regarding conventions of genre, medium and rhetorical situation.” I also accomplished the learning objective, “formulate and articulate a stance through

and in your writing.” I accomplished the first objective through the process I went
through when researching as described above. The second learning objective I accomplished through focusing my essay around my research question, and displaying my evidence through the lens of my research question.

Mini-Ethnography
The community that was the subject of my research was the flat earth community. The flat earthers are a group of people who subscribe to the belief that the Earth is not round, but instead flat. I observed this community through online means, which provided new insights to my prior academic research process. Through observing the flat earth community I was trying to determine the answer to my research question: Is the root of the flat earth beliefs in distrust of science or distrust of the government and institutions?

The flat earth community are both adamant and confident in their beliefs that the earth is not flat. They believe the facts we have been told, stating that our world is round, have been lies or are inaccurate. There are varying degrees to the kinds of flat earthers that exist. Some flat earthers are so passionate about such beliefs that they attend conferences and organizational gatherings such as the Flat Earth Convention where they meet up with others in person who share their beliefs. Others remain online, making videos,

commenting on discussion forums, and other things of this nature. Though the group is divided in the way the community is represented, the universal trait keeping them together is the fact that the Earth is not round.

(Photo from https://physicsworld.com/a/fighting-flat-earth-theory/)

Flat Earth Convention

The flat earth society convention is one of the “real world” meeting spots where flat earthers exchange ideas, and engage with their community. Being unable to attend an actual convention, I observed this event through various online videos showing moments from past conventions. These videos were primarily Youtube videos of third parties, such as a news organization, walking around the conventions and interviewing the people attending them. The flat earth convention was set up very professionally and appeared to be taking place in a hotel, where many business and academic conferences appear to take place. There was an auditorium part of the convention where notable people of the community would go on stage and present their ideas or talk about the flat earth. Outside the auditorium something that was striking was the amount of vendors who had tables set up. These vendors were selling merchandise such as books and T-Shirts. One vendor at the convention was even selling a poetry book she published filled with poems about the Earth being flat. Furthermore, many of the attendees of the convention had to travel a great distance to get there. This signaled in some way that a convention like this one served as a platform for people to feel comfortable with their beliefs and be surrounded by others who feel the same.

The various conversations and topics of conversation being discussed at this convention revealed insights toward an answer for my proposed research question. Much of the evidence people are using to support their belief that the Earth was flat was very accusatory of NASA and the government. Many included commentary about how NASA photos of the Earth and Moon have been falsified. Their phrasing of such beliefs also pointed towards the idea that this is more a conspiracy theory, than anything else. What suggested this was their repeated suggestion that people have “lied” to us about the Earth being round and that NASA is “lying.”. Therefore, the distrust was not so much as in the scientific proof of a round Earth; it was rather the source of such information. They couldn’t trust the source of the science, rather than the science itself. Thus, these observations pointed toward the argument that the root of their beliefs comes from a distrust in the government and its institutions.
(Photo from https://coloradosun.com/2018/11/20/flat-earth-convention-denver-post-truth/)

Flat Earth on TikTok

The flat earth community on TikTok provided a much more interactive and raw observation than observing the flat earth conference. There was also a new demographic I was exposed to while observing, which was young people. At the convention many of the attendees were older and further into adulthood, whereas on TikTok the majority making flat Earth videos are from young believers. This divide in age can be reflective of the kinds of ways each generation attempts to connect with others with similar ideas. Thus, the flat earth community is able to facilitate conversations regardless of age.

On TikTok many of the videos being created to argue the idea that the Earth is flat were very similar to a typical conspiracy theory video. Most of the time there was ominous music in the background of these videos, supported by vague and ambiguous photos, which supported creating a mystifying atmosphere. This atmosphere these videos create makes the flat Earth theory seem one that is not based in fact or reality, but really comes across as a theory, and one that lacks credibility. The reasoning for this is because the videos come off like they are trying to provide entertainment value. Thus, the TikToks lack a critical approach to them.

 

Many of the videos also almost often include NASA and disproving a photo or piece of information from the institution. This combined with the “creepy” music, blurry images, and lack

of tangible evidence, suggests these videos are created in a conspiracy theory style. This made the videos enjoyable to watch, but it removed any layer of credibility the information in the videos may have had. Usually conspiracies involve distrust in the government, often believing they are hiding something from civilians. That being said, the observations from TikTok also pointed toward the argument that flat earthers are grounded in their distrust of the government and institutions, in particular NASA.

Something worth noting about the community on TikTok is the way the larger community reacts to the flat earth community’s videos. Since TikTok is such a large platform, it is not exclusive to flat earthers, and thus anyone can come across these videos as I did through searching the topic in the search bar. Many comments from “round earthers” were satirical, and

often didn’t take the videos seriously. Some comments attempted to make jokes along the lines of “Didn’t you go to 5th grade science?” and things of this nature. What was interesting was the way in which flat earthers would reply to such a comment. They would reply by suggesting that information has been a lie and is a lie that is being taught to children in school. This is even more insightful toward a large aspect of the community which is that it is very hard to have a discourse with this community because they discredit the source of any information you may use to provide a counter argument. The paranoia and distrust they have also makes it hard to engage in discourse with them, because they will most likely interpret it as being some part of a bigger lie.

Observation Takeaways

As an observer of this community I received many useful insights into the community which supported my academic research. A takeaway I received from observing this community is how easy it can be to fall into their beliefs. As an observer and person I would say I am typically a skeptic, who has enjoyed the idea of conspiracy theories, thus although I remain adamant that the Earth is in fact round, I became very aware of how appealing believing the Earth is flat can be. It is somewhat enjoyable to have these beliefs, and is “fun” because it is like uncovering a mystery. That being said, it is not surprising that such a large community of people have grown around the belief that the Earth is flat.

Conclusion

After conducting research and fieldwork into the flat earth community, I had grown my knowledge of the community which thus gave me insights into an answer for my proposed

research question. The insights I have gained have led me to argue that the answer to my research question is that flat earth beliefs stem from a distrust in situations and the government rather than a distrust or lack of literacy for science. Therefore, flat earthers reveal that there is a large community that distrusts the government so largely that they have created a community around disputing one of the most universally known facts.

Works Cited

Picheta, R. (2019, November 18). The flat-earth conspiracy is spreading around the globe. does it hide a darker core?CNN. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/16/us/flat-earth-conference-conspiracy-theories-scli-intl/in dex.html

Fighting flat-earth theory. Physics World. (2022, February 22). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://physicsworld.com/a/fighting-flat-earth-theory/

Dunbar, B. (2015, June 16). What is Earth? NASA. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-is-earth-58.htm l

YouTube. (2019, March 20). Flat earth: To the edge and back (official movie). YouTube. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpljiOgd9RQ

McGlathery, G. (1980). Towards a Flat Earth Theory. Science and Children, 17(4), 13–15. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43160440

Järnefelt, E. (2018). Suspicion toward Science and the Role of Automatic Intuitions about Origins. In K. Rutten, S. Blancke, & R. Soetaert (Eds.), Perspectives on Science and Culture (pp. 109–130). Purdue University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt2204rxr.11

DIMMEL, J. (2016). What is the shape of the Earth? For the Learning of Mathematics, 36(3), 19–21. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44382717

Jeffery, E. (2018). Flat Earth Theory. Ambit, 233, 9–9. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26903223 DOUBLE-ENTRY NOTETAKING WORKSHEET