Unveiling the Digital Dynamics: How Online Reactions to Racialized State Violence Amplifies White Nationalist Affect

Abstract

In recent decades, white nationalism has surged globally. Scholars attempting to understand what is contributing to this increase, have discovered the role of social media in the dissemination of white nationalist ideologies and the fostering of white nationalist communities. Few studies, however, examine this prevalent phenomenon using critical approaches. To address this gap in research, this dissertation uses postcolonial theory to analyse white nationalism on YouTube through public reactions to racialised state violence. Specifically, this research focuses on the cases of George Floyd and migrant children in detention centres in the United States. The primary argument of this work is that white nationalism is a manifestation of colonialism in the present, as evidenced by social media’s amplification of white nationalist rhetorics. Social media enables individuals to engage in extreme environments that are socially unacceptable in non-virtual spaces by utilising the digital affordances of potential anonymity and formation of highly ideological communities. By critically examining YouTube comments concerning racialised violence, this study explores colonial legacies of racialisation, white state ownership and embodied hierarchies. This study finds that colonial ideologies are foundational to white nationalist logics today, as pervasive perceptions of non-white subhumanity, white racial entitlement and the dehumanisation of impoverished and addicted individuals are used to perpetuate the ideologies of the white nationalist state. Due to the high prevalence of white nationalist discourses on YouTube, this dissertation argues that the internet amplifies white nationalist sentiments and consequently requires moderation to counteract and quell the dissemination of these harmful ideologies and organisations. Furthermore, these measures must be supported by ongoing research as dangerous sentiments continue to grow.