Hate Online: A Content Analysis of Extremist Internet Sites

TLDR

Extremist groups espousing racial supremacy or separation have established an online presence, represented by a diverse sample of organized and unaffiliated sites. The study performed a purposive sample content analysis of 157 extremist websites, with two independent raters evaluating each site. The analysis revealed that most sites linked to other extremist sites, half featured multimedia and racist symbols, a third disavowed racism yet also contained supremacist literature, a small fraction urged violence, underscoring the Internet’s role as a powerful tool for extremist recruitment, networking, and image control.

Abstract

Extremists, such as hate groups espousing racial supremacy or separation, have established an online presence. A content analysis of 157 extremist web sites selected through purposive sampling was conducted using two raters per site. The sample represented a variety of extremist groups and included both organized groups and sites maintained by apparently unaffiliated individuals. Among the findings were that the majority of sites contained external links to other extremist sites (including international sites), that roughly half the sites included multimedia content, and that half contained racist symbols. A third of the sites disavowed racism or hatred, yet one third contained material from supremacist literature. A small percentage of sites specifically urged violence. These and other findings suggest that the Internet may be an especially powerful tool for extremists as a means of reaching an international audience, recruiting members, linking diverse extremist groups, and allowing maximum image control.