#online-radicalization

#online-radicalization

The misogyny and toxic masculinity that Jamie discovered in online communities fuel his radicalization toward violence. Most internet communities are not inherently dangerous, and yet it's fair to ask whether a specific online culture could have influenced the assassin who gunned down conservative activist Charlie Kirk. It is a culture, cultivated on social networks and messaging platforms, where killing seems performative and where human life has no intrinsic value.

Jordan Brann, who attended Pine View High School in St. George, Utah, posted a video on TikTok calling Robinson a 'Reddit kid,' a slang term used to describe young people heavily influenced by Reddit culture. The phrase often carries a mocking tone, implying someone is deeply immersed in online communities, memes, or internet-driven beliefs. 'I went to school with Tyler Robinson,' Brann said in the now-deleted TikTok.

Holly's TikTok accounts contained white supremacist symbols, the Anti-Defamation League said, and the name of his most recent account included a reference to a popular white supremacist slogan. The account was unavailable on Friday. TikTok said accounts associated with Holly had been banned. Holly's family could not be reached. The Associated Press left a message at a telephone number associated with the house that police searched after the shooting.

Over the past 15 years, I briefed each of these companies about this complex issue. The first such briefing, back in December 2010, focused on my research on how Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups were using YouTube to radicalize young people in the West. At Google's invitation, I met with senior Google representatives, including its head of public relations and policy, senior policy manager, senior policy counsel and free speech attorney, at the company's Washington, D.C., office.