Project Description
Much of the rise in hate speech, including antisemitism, comes from recycled material rather than from new content. In a culture dominated by “memes”, whether visual or written, a relatively small number of creators can have an outsized impact on spreading antisemitism. This project’s objective is to identify the origin of new hateful material and the implicit narrative behind it, rather than waiting for it to circulate and attempting to police it post facto.
Findings
- An analysis of 525 extremist memes on small social media (SSM) platforms found that these sites act as testing grounds and conduits to larger platforms, attracting tens of millions of visitors monthly.
- The memes frequently contain both cognitive and secondary antisemitism, using humour and insinuation rather than overt misinformation to spread hate.
- After October 7, antisemitic content increased overall, but hostility linked to other locales, such as the “great replacement” and “tunnel Jews”, remained equally common.
Project Partners:
- Antisemitism Policy Trust
- Associació Plataforma Mozaika
Place of Realisation:
- Uk
- Spain