UFO, universe, reptilians and creatures communities on Brazilian Telegram: when the sky is not the limit and conspiracy theories seek answers beyond humanity

Abstract

Interest in extraterrestrial phenomena and conspiracy theories involving UFOs and reptilians has been growing on Brazilian Telegram, especially in times of global uncertainty, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study aims to address the research question: how are Brazilian conspiracy theory communities on UFO, universe, reptilians and creatures topics characterized and articulated on Telegram? It is worth noting that this study is part of a series of seven studies whose main objective is to understand and characterize Brazilian conspiracy theory communities on Telegram. This series of seven studies is openly and originally available on arXiv at Cornell University, applying a mirrored method across the seven studies, changing only the thematic object of analysis and providing investigation replicability, including with proprietary and authored codes, adding to the culture of free and open-source software. Regarding the main findings of this study, the following were observed: UFO communities act as gateways for theories about reptilians, connecting narratives of global control with extraterrestrial beings; Discussions about UFOs and the universe grew significantly during the Pandemic, reflecting a renewed interest in extraterrestrial phenomena; Reptilians remain a significant subculture within conspiracy theories, with a notable growth during the Pandemic; The thematic overlap between UFOs, reptilians and esotericism reveals a cohesive ecosystem of disinformation, making factual correction a challenge; UFO communities function as amplifiers of other conspiracy theories, connecting different themes and strengthening the disinformation network.