Mapping Connective Actions in the Global Alt-Right and Antifa Counterpublics

Authors

  • Weiai Wayne Xu Department of Communication, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Keywords:

counterpublic, connective action, collective action, Alt-Right, Antifa, social media

Abstract

The study examines how the Alt-Right and the Antifa counterpublics build counteridentities and influences through three connective actions: crowdsourced gatekeeping, hashtag-based framing, and political jamming. By studying social networks of Twitter-based information flows and semantic networks based on hashtag co-occurrence, coupled with bot-detection algorithms, the study presents how counterpublics build like-minded communities for information sharing and use Twitter mentions to seek rapport with fellow counterpublic members and challenge ideological opponents. Both counterpublics adopt counteractions to varying degrees in the form of oppositional framing, mockery, and trolls. Their hashtags suggest that the Alt-Right is a transnational alliance of populism and ethnonationalism capitalizing on U.S. President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again movement, whereas Antifa’s identity is more decentralized and activist-oriented, defined by progressive causes, offline rallies, and cyber operations. The results of the study shed light on digitally mediated counterpublics and how connective actions support their goals.

Author Biography

Weiai Wayne Xu, Department of Communication, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Weiai Wayne Xu is currently an assistant professor in the department of communication at UMass-Amherst. His research lies at the intersection of communication and data science. He uses computational social science techniques to examine the role of technology in the flow of information, value, behaviors, and organizational resources while addressing the important issues of digital inequality, fragmentation, and disinformation. His scholarly writing has appeared in Computers in Human Behavior, American Behavioral Scientist, Social Networks, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Government Information Quarterly, and International Journal of Communication, among others. He is currently serving on the Editorial Board of Social Media + Society and is the managing editor of Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia. 

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Published

2020-02-14

Issue

Vol. 14 (2020)

Section

Articles

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