Communicating Violence: A Cross-Platform Comparison of Violent Right-Wing Extremist Discussions Online

• In Event: Division on Terrorism and Bias Crimes Panel: The Role of the Internet in Facilitating Violent Extremism and Terrorism

Abstract

Understanding the role of the Internet in violent extremism remains a top priority for many researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers, with a growing focus on how violent communications vary across online platforms. In an effort to contribute to this underdeveloped area of research, we compared the online discussions found within and across two types of right-wing extremist forums: (1) collective extremist forums for a general audience, and (2) designated extremist forums for groups who are known to engage in violence in the offline space. Data was extracted from some of the most visited right-wing extremist forums using a customized web-crawler, which included over 12 million messages spanning approximately 15 years. Next, we identified messages that started each of the most popular forum threads, and a computational retrieval tool scanned through the data and selected messages that included keywords relating to violence. Lastly, we conducted a thematic content analysis on the data, comparing the popular discussions in general and evaluating how the use of violence was negotiated in particular. The results highlight the distinct yet interconnected nature of the discussions within and across online platforms. We conclude with a discussion of policy implications and future research.

Authors

• Ryan Scrivens, Michigan State University

• Thomas Holt, Michigan State University

• Pete Simi, Chapman University

• Joshua D. Freilich, City University of New York

• Steven Chermak, Michigan State University

• Richard Frank, Simon Fraser University