Intimate Communities of Hate - Why Social Media Fuels Far-Right Extremism

Social media has transformed politics, driving a surge in far-right extremism. Recently, radical anti-democratic ideologies have entered into the political mainstream, fueled by energy from extreme online environments. This book delves into the "murder capital of the racist Internet", examining 20 years of conversations on Stormfront.org.

List of contents

1. Situating Stormfront in Social Media Debates 2. A More Social Theory of Online Politics 3. Methodology, Data, and Ethics 4. Introducing Stormfront 5. Identity: Becoming a Community 6. Discourse: Constructing a Worldview 7. Affect: Building Emotional Energy 8. Stormfront and the Rise of the Far Right

About the author

Anton Törnberg is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. His primary research interests center on online far-right movements, with a special emphasis on online radicalization processes. He is currently doing research on the links between right-wing violence and social media, as well as the spread of conspiracy theories and climate denialism.
Petter Törnberg is an Assistant Professor in Computational Social Science at the University of Amsterdam and an Associate Professor in Complex Systems at Chalmers University of Technology. His research focuses on the intersection between AI, social media, and politics, using computational methods to examine online polarization and radicalization.

Product details

• Authors: Anton (University of Gothenburg Tornberg, Anton Törnberg, Petter Törnberg
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 27.06.2025
• EAN: 9780367622008
• ISBN: 978-0-367-62200-8
• No. of pages: 132
• Series: Routledge Studies in Political Sociology
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Media, communication > Communication science; Sociology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General, Politics & government, Politics and government, Research methods: general, Research methods / methodology