A melting pot of hate: Researching the alt-right on Reddit and Voat during US 2020 Presidential Election

这个研究项目旨在了解网上的政治运动，特别是与另类右翼有关的运动。该项目将重点关注2020年美国总统大选期间的Reddit和Voat，将使用一种新颖的混合方法来促进对在线政治运动的理解。在2016年美国总统大选期间，另类右翼作为特别有效的互联网用户为政治目的而引起了公众和学术界越来越多的关注。2008年由理查德·斯宾塞（Richard Spencer）创造的“另类右翼”（alt-right）一词，目前仍主要局限于互联网上，偶尔会出现现实世界中的暴力事件。对于该运动的成员、目标和信仰，成员和学术界几乎没有达成一致。在Reddit上，社区r/The_Donald成为特朗普在线支持者最大的中心，并成为语言、社区组织和在线行动主义研究的重要焦点。它被学者们认定为另类右翼的重要中心。然而，另类右翼在Reddit上的存在超越了它的界限，进入了其他的子Reddit，无论是政治的还是非政治的。Voat被认为是“另类互联网”（alt-internet）的一部分，这是一组为应对主流平台的审查而建立的平台。Voat是Reddit的替代品，托管了一些由于违反政策和公众监督而被Reddit禁止的社区。主要问题：极右翼是如何在网络平台上运作和网络的？子问题1：极右翼是否在这些平台上形成网络，如果是，是如何形成的？子问题2：网络如何自我认同，并区分他们与他人的身份？他们组成了一个社区吗？子问题3：群体如何传播他们的信息并推动参与？由于另类右翼的广泛存在及其争议性，需要首先定义项目的关键要素，例如成员的传播和文化。在线人种志对于建立社区规范、象征主义和语言的图景将特别有用。大部分数据收集将使用Reddit的API和Pushshift.io进行。除了回答上面的研究问题之外，数据收集的长度意味着可以添加一个时间元素，特别是与策略的演变有关，也许随着选举的临近。潜在的应用和好处本研究项目将有助于理解如何使用混合方法研究在线社交平台。该项目旨在通过使用在线人种志、访谈以及通过API收集的数据进行定性和定量分析来进行三角测量。这将使该项目能够在运动如此重要的时刻建立社区的全貌。此外，这个项目将有助于理解在这样一个爆发点的在线政治社区，特别是关于他们的激进分子。政治社区在非政治平台上的运作将特别令人感兴趣，这表明政治社区是否作为政治进程的一部分渗透到其他人身上。最后，它的目的是通过分析选举前和选举结果后不久的用户运动，促进对在线平台招募的理解。

This research project aims to understand political movements online, particularly with regards to the alt-right. Focusing on Reddit and Voat in the build-up to the 2020 US Presidential Election, the project will use a novel mixed methods approach to contribute to understanding of political movements online.ContextDuring the 2016 US Presidential Election, the alt-right came to increased public and academic attention as particularly effective users of the internet for political purposes. Coined in 2008 by Richard Spencer, the alt-right is a movement that is still largely confined to the internet with a few flashes of real-world violence. There is little agreement over the membership, aims, and beliefs of the movement, both by members, and academically.On Reddit, the community r/The_Donald became the largest hub of Trump supporters online, and became an important focus of research on language, community organisation, and activism online. It has been identified by academics as an important centre for the alt-right. However, the presence of the alt-right on Reddit goes beyond its bounds to other subreddits, both political and apolitical. Voat is considered to be part of the 'alt-internet', a group of platforms set up in response to perceived censorship by mainstream platforms. Voat is the alternative Reddit, hosting a number of communities banned from Reddit due to the violation of policies and public scrutiny.Aims and ObjectivesMain Question: How does the Far-Right operate and network on online platforms?Sub-question 1: Does the far-right form networks on these platforms, and if so, how?Sub-question 2: How do the networks self-identify, and differentiate their identity with respect to others? Do they form a community?Sub-question 3: How do groups disperse their message and drive involvement?Due to the diffuse presence of the alt-right and its contested nature key elements of the project need to be defined first, such as the spread of members and the culture. The online ethnography will be particularly useful for building a picture of community norms, symbolism, and language.The majority of data collection will take place using Reddit's API and Pushshift.io. In addition to answering the research questions above, the length of data collection means that a temporal element can be added, particularly in relation to the evolution of strategies, perhaps as the election gets closer.Potential applications and benefitsThis research project will contribute to an understanding of how to research online social platforms, by using a mixed method approach. This project aims to triangulate by using an online ethnography, interviews, and a both qualitative and quantitative analysis of data collected through the API. This will enable the project to build a full picture of the communities during such an important moment for the movement.Moreover, this project will contribute to understandings of online political communities during such a flashpoint, particularly in regard to their activist elements. The operation of political communities on non-political platforms will be of particular interest, showing if the political communities infiltrate others as part of the political process. Finally, it aims to contribute to understandings of recruitment on online platforms by analysing user movements during the build-up to the election, and shortly following the result.