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Beyond Black and White: the Intersection of Ideologies in Online Extremist Communities

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Abstract

Current literature on online criminal and deviant groups recognises the role of online forums in the transfer of knowledge and socialisation of members, but current research lacks insight on the evolution and convergence of these groups. One area of concerns is how different aspects of these ideologies, most notably misogyny, anti-semitism and racism, are shared and developed between communities making up the manosphere and those dedicated to far-right themes. Current research has found overlaps in memberships across these two online groups, with growing evidence showing members’ linkage to online harassment and offline violent incidents (Farrell et al., 2019; Regehr, 2022). To develop appropriate interventions to prevent such violent events, this research attempts to elucidate the different elements of the ideologies expressed in online communities known collectively as the “manosphere”, by analysing the Cambridge Cybercrime Centre’s ExtremeBB dataset. This database includes approximately 46 million posts made by more than 315 thousand registered active members on 12 different online extremist forums promoting misogyny and far-right extremism. To understand the interaction between far-right extremism and misogyny, we perform a qualitative analysis of a selection of posts already categorised by topic. Preliminary analyses show support for the following aspects: (a) similarities in radicalisation mechanisms, and (b) overlaps in the discourse on race and gender. These similarities provide potential gateways for previously isolated members to venture beyond their current association, suggesting the further adoption of extreme ideologies. Such a process, known as radicalisation, is highly correlated with extremism and terrorism (Borum, 2011; McCauley & Moskalenko, 2008). Findings from this research will allow for more precise interventions.

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Data Availability

The datasets analysed during the current study are available via the University of Cambridge’s Cybercrime Centre, https://www.cambridgecybercrime.uk.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support from the University of Cambridge’s Cybercrime Centre during the research period for this paper, and for providing the data the work rests on.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Cyber Studies, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

    Yi Ting Chua

  2. Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Lydia Wilson

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  1. Yi Ting Chua
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Correspondence to Yi Ting Chua.

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Chua, Y.T., Wilson, L. Beyond Black and White: the Intersection of Ideologies in Online Extremist Communities. Eur J Crim Policy Res 29, 337–354 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-023-09555-9

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