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

这项研究项目旨在了解在线政治运动，特别是关于另类右翼的政治运动。该项目将重点关注2020年美国总统选举前的Reddit和Voat，将使用一种新颖的混合方法来帮助理解在线政治运动。在2016年美国总统选举期间，另类右翼作为出于政治目的而特别有效的互联网用户，越来越受到公众和学术界的关注。另类右翼运动由理查德·斯宾塞在2008年创立，目前仍主要局限于互联网，在现实世界中也有一些暴力行为。关于该运动的成员、目标和信仰，无论是成员还是学术上都几乎没有达成一致。在Reddit上，r/the_Donald社区成为特朗普支持者在线最大的中心，并成为语言、社区组织和激进主义在线研究的重要焦点。它已被学术界认定为另类右翼的重要中心。然而，另类右翼在Reddit上的存在超出了它对其他次级红人的限制，包括政治和非政治的。Voat被认为是“另类互联网”的一部分，“另类互联网”是为应对主流平台的审查而建立的一组平台。Voat是另一种Reddit，托管着许多因违反政策和公共审查而被禁止在Reddit上使用的社区。目标和目标主要问题：极右翼如何在在线平台上运作和网络？次问题1：极右翼是否在这些平台上形成网络，如果是，如何形成网络？次问题2：网络如何自我识别，并将其身份与其他人区分开来？他们是否组成了一个社区？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，如成员的传播和文化。在线民族志对于构建社区规范、象征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Pushshit.io进行。除了回答上述研究问题，数据收集的长度意味着可以添加时间因素，特别是与战略演变有关的因素，可能随着选举的临近。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来研究在线社交平台。该项目旨在通过使用在线人种学、访谈以及对通过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的如此重要时刻建立社区的全貌。此外，该项目将有助于在这样一个引爆点上了解在线政治社区，特别是关于他们的积极分子。政治社区在非政治平台上的运作将特别令人感兴趣，表明政治社区是否作为政治进程的一部分渗透到其他社区。最后，它的目的是通过分析选举筹备期间和选举结果后不久的用户流动情况，促进对在线平台招聘的理解。

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.