Towards a Horseshoe of Extremism: A Digital Content Analysis of Shared Rhetoric Between Left- and Right-Wing Extremists

• In Event: Online Communities and Offline Violence

Abstract

Since the attack by Hamas on the 7th October, 2023, anti-Semitic sentiments have become increasingly mainstreamed, on both sides of the political divide. This project seeks to explore how left- and right-wing extremists produce or perpetuate anti-Semitic discourse in digital spaces. Using digital content analysis from social media platforms such as Reddit and TikTok, we examine similarities and differences in the themes and narratives on far-right and far-left to investigate shared sentiments through Faye’s horseshoe theory of extremism.

Authors

• Kaitlyn Davisio, American University

• William Arnold, American University