I just finished 'When Prophecy Fails' It's a study about what people do when they are presented with info that disproves their crazy ideas. It turns out, that

I just finished 'When Prophecy Fails' It's a study about what people do when they are presented with info that disproves their crazy ideas. It turns out, that when the end of the world doesn't come, if you're by yourself, and don't have any other true believers around to help you explain away the miss, then you usually become disillusioned and move away from whatever movement you're in. On the other hand, when true believers are around, the feedback loop helps soften the blow and find an excuse. It blocks out the doubt and you continue in your beliefs. The really shitty thing here is that with the internet, you never have to go through the disappointment of an obvious failed prophecy alone, you can reach out to 4 chan and explain away and justify and find support and reassurance that you weren't actually wrong, when the evidence right in front of your face is clearly saying you were wrong. This is contributing to a snowball effect where these movements are just connecting and growing and never suffer setbacks when the are obviously wrong. (i.e. pizza gate guy shooting into the closet.)