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Upvoting extremism

Collective identity formation and the extreme right on Reddit

Bibliographic Data

ID12654846
AuthorsTiana Gaudette (0000-0003-1351-4927, Simon Fraser University, corresponding author), Ryan Scrivens (0000-0001-7432-7370, Michigan State University), Garth Davies (0009-0003-7830-7985), Richard Frank (0000-0001-5927-1217, Simon Fraser University), Richard W Frank (0000-0003-4382-1039, Simon Fraser University)
Year2020
Volume23
Issue12
Pages3491-3508
Publication date2020-09-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNew Media & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1461444820958123
OpenAlexW3085627079
LanguageEN
Citations received100
References cited41

Since the advent of the Internet, right-wing extremists and those who subscribe to extreme right views have exploited online platforms to build a collective identity among the like-minded. Research in this area has largely focused on extremists’ use of websites, forums, and mainstream social media sites, but overlooked in this research has been an exploration of the popular social news aggregation site Reddit. The current study explores the role of Reddit’s unique voting algorithm in facilitating “othering” discourse and, by extension, collective identity formation among members of a notoriously hateful subreddit community, r/The_Donald. The results of the thematic analysis indicate that those who post extreme-right content on r/The_Donald use Reddit’s voting algorithm as a tool to mobilize like-minded members by promoting extreme discourses against two prominent out-groups: Muslims and the Left. Overall, r/The_Donald’s “sense of community” facilitates identity work among its members by creating an environment wherein extreme right views are continuously validated

Aesthetics · Collective identity · Extreme right · Identity (music · Internet privacy · Mainstream · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Qualitative research · Social group · Social identity theory · Social media · Social science · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Voting · Computer Science · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law · Social Media and Politics · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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Unique citing works100
Citations per year20
Citation span2021 - 2026 (6)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 98
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