Echoes of Radicalization: The Political Right and The Internet Through the Lens of Moral Panic

In the past decade, the prevalence of social media has become a part of everyday life. Alongside this, these issues have gained a unique venue for discussing identity-based political issues that were not previously given mainstream attention and, ultimately, contribute to panic among portions of the American public. In this study, I conducted a digital ethnographic content analysis to explore how Reddit and X act as venues for discussions of transgender issues, immigration, and racial discrimination and how these issues have manifested in mainstream discourse. Using Stanley Cohen’s moral panic theory and grounded theory practices, I found that these spaces create a new language to discuss these issues, reinforce concerns and stereotypes, and follow a self-reinforcing chain of command to transmit information into mainstream media discourse. Ultimately, these findings lead me to conclude that future research must be done in broader issue areas and that policymakers need to be conscious of dog whistles to disrupt harmful legislation to marginalized groups.