Hidden in Plain Sight: Antisemitic Speech in QAnon subReddits

• In Event: Online Extremism and Hate Speech

Abstract

There is little agreement of what constitutes implicit antisemitic content. Yet implicit antisemitic content and conspiracies about Jews have been on the rise, especially on moderated platforms. In this paper, we map the connections between explicit antisemitic content and these other forms of content, showing the language game at play online. We use data from two deplatformed Qanon subReddits and identify the explicit antisemitic speech. QAnon has been widely recognized as an antisemitic movement, making the group a prime candidate for use of different types of antisemitic content. We also examine a list of implicit terms that may not in themselves communicate antisemitism but that have been associated with antisemitic conspiracies. Using a combination of Natural Language Processing techniques, we show the links between these explicit and implicit terms and their signaling of antisemitic conspiracies more broadly and how they cluster on well-established antisemitic conspiracies. We conclude that implicit antisemitic speech communicates a particular message, in this case related to antisemitic narratives of hidden Jewish power, to an audience “in-the-know” while also offering the user plausible deniability. Moreover, the implicit antisemitic terms circumvent platform censorship and provide an opportunity to leverage antisemitic conspiracies with new users without the explicit stigma.

Author

• Noah Cohen, John Jay College of Criminal Justice / CUNY Graduate Center