Extremist discourse on alt-right sub-reddit: An Inferential Network Analysis Approach

The use of extreme language in social networks is a problem of increasing relevance since it might be a driver of radicalization. Reddit is one of the platforms that provide a place for extremist groups to express themselves. Groups that share (extreme) opinions often contain both passive members and activists. The goal of the activists is to shape the perceptions of the wider public and attract support for their ideology. The current study’s aims are twofold. First, it explores the engagement patterns of activists in the alt-right groups on a conservative subreddit. Second, this study explores the role played by anger and extremist wording in shaping the discussions that take place in the sub-reddit. The study employs inferential network analysis, namely conditional uniform graphs tests and exponential random graph model, in combination with sentiment analysis. Our findings suggest that a small group of users is engaged in the alt-right sub-reddit a lot more than the average user, defining a profile for activism. Moreover, we observe a relationship between engaging in alt-right discussions in the sub-reddit and the sentiment of the users deduced from their posts. These results are a first step toward finding strategies to prevent online radicalization.