We don’t talk enough about the relationship between online-interactive conspiracy theories and the corporate strategy of increasing interest in movies and TV shows by injecting Easter eggs and puzzle boxes to spur online chatter.

Internet-era viral marketing, dropping hints into properties to inspire online articles and social media chatter that prioritizes obsessive fandom and rewards investigative consumption, taught consumers to view everything as a treasure hunt for hidden knowledge.

Anymore, the most popular properties are ones that inspire sleuthing, piecing together clues, restless conjecture and repeated viewings for narrative construction that benefits “researchers”
who interpret hidden “clues.” Movements like QAnon just bring it into political reality.

The only difference between combing through WandaVision or detective shows for clues and Easter eggs and “baking” for QAnon is that one is interactive, active consumption of pop culture and the other involves audiences who believe it’s the key to saving the world.

When I teach fiction we talk about narratives with puzzles for readers that draw them in and invite them to participate. This principle has been expanded to court online chatter in pursuit of virality. The same concept works for QAnon and interactive conspiracies.

The end result is a fascistic cult that operates online searching for hidden “symbols” that might expose clandestine messages, just like viewers search for hints at future franchise moves and solutions to puzzle boxes.

The magic trick is the narrative strategy of turning passive consumption into active consumption while camouflaging the truth: finding clues in movies, shows, and even political events does not mean the consumer can necessarily change anything.