Far-Right Extremist Online Discussions of Government Actions

• In Event: CAT Interactive Papers #1

Abstract

Far-right extremism in the United States has received relatively little research attention, even though far-right extremists have committed a high number of violent crimes and law enforcement officials consider far-right, specifically anti-government, movements among the most serious terrorist threats. Using the online communities of practice concept, we conducted qualitative analysis of how members of two online forums affiliated with the militia movement and the sovereign citizen movement discussed three government actions that explicitly or implicitly targeted these movements. We found evidence of group identity enhancement, violence justification, information sharing, and leadership—traditional indicators of online communities and/or extremist online communication. Additionally, we developed the concept of community sustainment, or efforts and means through which online communities maintain themselves. Most significantly, we found evidence to support perhaps the first theoretical framework for understanding how extremist online communities function when discussing government actions against movements, which may aid future online extremism research.

Authors

• Julio J. Bermejo, University of Maryland

• Elizabeth Lauren Petrun, U of Maryland

• Stephanie Madden, University of Maryland

• Claire E Tills, University of Maryland, College Park

• Brooke Fisher Liu, U of Maryland