Networks, Narratives and the Birth of a Scapegoat: The Cross-Platform Evolution of a “Trans Terrorism” Conspiracy.

• In Event: 20420 - Section on Sociology of Culture Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 10: Text Analysis

Abstract

How are scapegoats made? Though a central feature of contemporary discourse, few studies have looked at the micro-dynamics through which certain minority groups come to be blamed for social ills. This paper details a mixed-method and cross-platform analysis of the online narratives in the month that followed the Nashville school shooting, in March 2023. The attack, perpetrated by a trans man, sparked conspiracies of a “trans terrorism” agenda, that explained school shootings as the result of a purported left-wing gender ideology epidemic. Using a novel dataset of over 70,000 relevant posts from across five alt-tech and predominately right-wing social media platforms (Truth Social, Gab, Gettr, Minds, MeWe) - and incorporating qualitative coding, machine learning models for toxicity detection, and social network analysis techniques - I explore the themes, emotions, and influence structures underpinning the origins and distribution of this narrative. I situate this study within sociological literatures of culture, group processes and power, and specifically in the dynamics of symbolic in-group amplification and out-group vilification.

Author

• Jack Gabriel Risien Wippell, The Ohio State University