Neutralization without Drift

The Aesthetics of Cruelty in Hateful Meme Sharing

Bibliographic Data

ID8400588
AuthorsAlessandro Moretti (0000-0002-8412-6617, University of Copenhagen), Jakob Demant (0000-0003-3333-224X, University of Copenhagen J. Demant, Department of Sociology, , Øster Farimagsgade 5, København, 1014, Denmark; A. Moretti, Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen, Karen Blixens Plads 16, København, 2300, Denmark, corresponding author)
Year2026
Publication date2026-02-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe British Journal of Criminology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-0955 • E-ISSN: 1464-3529
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/bjc/azaf092
OpenAlexW7130844006
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited57

While some of the hate that is posted on social media aligns with extremist ideologies, the sharing of hateful memes often defies rational explanation, prompting new inquiries into online deviant behaviour. Traditional neutralization theory assumes a temporary suspension of moral values, but sharers of hateful memes may not always perceive their actions as wrongful. When transgression is unacknowledged, there is no moral drift to justify. These findings question neutralization’s relevance within digital criminology and suggest a need to rethink its relationship with drift. This paper argues that sharing hate within group-based social media can be understood as an aesthetic of cruelty, which temporarily unites posters within a refracted, tribalistic community that is upheld through the symbolic humour of memes

Content (measure theory) · Cruelty · Dehumanization · Punishment (psychology) · Relevance (law) · Social media · Torture · Crime, Deviance, and Social Control · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Humor Studies and Applications

Tools

Open DOI