Mapping White Identity Terrorism and Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism : A Social Network Analysis of Online Activity / HEATHER J. WILLIAMS, LUKE J. MATTHEWS, PAULINE MOORE, MATTHEW A. DENARDO, JAMES V. MARRONE, BRIAN A. JACKSON, WILLIAM MARCELLINO, TODD C. HELMUS.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Williams, Heather J., author.

Contributor:

Rosengarten Family Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Extremists--United States.

Extremists.

Radicalism--Social aspects--United States.

Radicalism.

White supremacy movements--United States.

White supremacy movements.

Social media--Political aspects--United States.

Social media.

Physical Description:

xi, 171 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

Santa Monica, Calif. : RAND, [2022]

Summary:

Racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism (REMVE) and extremists (REMVEs) present some of the most pressing threats to the United States. REMVE also has been identified as the White identity terrorist movement (WITM). REMVEs are among the most lethal domestic violent extremists, and they are the most likely to commit mass-casualty attacks. These movements are characterized by a broad ideological orientation toward xenophobic, anti-Semitic, racist, and misogynistic sentiment. For this report, the authors reviewed the relevant literature on REMVE networks and collected and analyzed social media data from six social networks (Twitter, Reddit, Gab, Ruqqus, Telegram, and Stormfront) to produce a global network map of the digital REMVE space. That network map evaluates each network's construction, connectivity, geographic location, references to prominent organizations, and proclivity to violence. The authors also reviewed ten countries' experiences with REMVE to sketch out an understanding of the REMVE space in these countries and how REMVEs in those countries relate to those in the United States.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: ch. One Overview

ch. Two Literature Review

Introduction

Overview of the Evolution of WITM and REMVE

Findings: Transnational Dynamics

Findings: Recruitment

Findings: Training

Findings: Financing and Fundraising

Summary

ch. Three Network Analysis of WITM and REMVE

Data Sampling Process and Descriptive Statistics

Network Construction

Distribution of Users by Country

International Connectivity on Twitter

Identification of Most-Potentially Violent Platforms

Network Community Analysis

Overt Mentions of White Supremacy Organizations

Simulations of Network Interventions

Refining Results and Filling Gaps

ch. Four Country Case Studies

Australia

Canada

Denmark

Germany

New Zealand

Norway

Russia

Sweden

Ukraine

United Kingdom

ch. Five Conclusion and Opportunities for Impact

APPENDIXES

A. White Genocide Terms

B. Triangulating Platform Antisociality: Dark Triad by Sentiment

C. Longitudinal Analysis of Highest-Scoring Dark Triad Communities Across Platforms

D. Simulations of Deplatforming or Other Counter-REMVE Action in Online Networks

E. Religion and Christianity Keywords Applied to Twitter

F. Dendrogram of Lexical Similarities by Location on Twitter.

Notes:

"Prepared for the U.S. State Department".

Includes bibliographical references (pages 151-171).

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosengarten Family Fund.

ISBN:

1977409601

9781977409607

OCLC:

1334097421