Trump supporter and hater: We both think he staged shooting plots

As both Camille and Wild Mother came to rely more on social media, the beliefs they picked up contributed to a fracturing of their relationships in the real world.

Camille finds it hard to have conversations with some of her close family who support Trump, while Wild Mother says it played a part in her separating from her now ex-husband, who she says strongly opposed conspiracy theories.

“Does it make it difficult? Yes. Did it create a wedge? Was it possibly one of the things that ended my marriage? Maybe,” Wild Mother says.

Meanwhile, Camille also found herself embroiled in arguments on X which left her with her guard up in the real world, too. “It’s a little scary because I feel like every time I leave the house, it’s a potential for conflict,” she says.

This atmosphere of suspicion and conflict doesn’t just have consequences for these women’s personal lives – but for society too.

Officials, election workers – and politicians around the USA have found themselves subject to hate and threats as a consequence of this wider belief that almost anything and everything – including elections – is being rigged and staged.

For Wild Mother, people are “walking a really fine line” between seeking justice and harmful behaviour.

“It’s not writing your senators and calling them racist names. But if you were somebody who truly did your research and found that there was an issue, do I agree that you should use your voice? Absolutely,” she says.

“I think that we all have ways of doing that. For them, it just so happens to be harassing people.”

While Wild Mother and Camille say they have never threatened anyone themselves – and strike me as empathetic, kind people – the mistrust fostered in part by their social media feeds has eroded their faith in society and its institutions.

Camille, who was so opposed conspiracy theories, now finds herself using the language of them.

She appears to be one of many recruited into this way of thinking – by July’s assassination attempt and the social media algorithms drawing people deeper into an online world detached from reality.