Leaderless Resistance and Ideological Nihilism in the 21st Century: How Militant Accelerationists Use Social Media to Enact Their Violent Ideology
Location
Sasquatch Room 124 C
Start Date
22-4-2023 10:30 AM
End Date
22-4-2023 11:45 AM
Publication Date
2023
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Law | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Description
This paper will explore the ways in which violent far-right accelerationism relies on directed self-radicalization, and how accelerationists are utilizing social media as the primary vehicle for this process. The author will unpack the two-pronged approach to leaderless resistance and radicalization in the modern accelerationist milieu, examining the celebration of violence and the facilitation and promotion of new violence as the primary drivers of this process. The paper will examine the ways in which mass killers and 'lone actor' terrorists are sanctified and celebrated in online spaces, and how their manifestos and livestreams are shared as part of a campaign of militant memetics and desensitization to violence. The paper will go on to examine the ways in which new violence is promoted, focusing on gamification, the aesthetics of militancy, the sharing of methods of violence, and the doxing of activists and public figures. The author will propose that these two pillars form the foundations of modern leaderless resistance on the accelerationist far-right.
Description Format
html
Recommended Citation
Purdue, Simon, "Leaderless Resistance and Ideological Nihilism in the 21st Century: How Militant Accelerationists Use Social Media to Enact Their Violent Ideology" (2023). International Conference on Hate Studies. 48.
https://repository.gonzaga.edu/icohs/2023/seventh/48
Full Text of Presentation
wf_no
Media Format
flash_audio
Session Title
Promotion of Hate and Violence Through Social Media and Mainstream Sources
Type
Panel
Leaderless Resistance and Ideological Nihilism in the 21st Century: How Militant Accelerationists Use Social Media to Enact Their Violent Ideology
Sasquatch Room 124 C
This paper will explore the ways in which violent far-right accelerationism relies on directed self-radicalization, and how accelerationists are utilizing social media as the primary vehicle for this process. The author will unpack the two-pronged approach to leaderless resistance and radicalization in the modern accelerationist milieu, examining the celebration of violence and the facilitation and promotion of new violence as the primary drivers of this process. The paper will examine the ways in which mass killers and 'lone actor' terrorists are sanctified and celebrated in online spaces, and how their manifestos and livestreams are shared as part of a campaign of militant memetics and desensitization to violence. The paper will go on to examine the ways in which new violence is promoted, focusing on gamification, the aesthetics of militancy, the sharing of methods of violence, and the doxing of activists and public figures. The author will propose that these two pillars form the foundations of modern leaderless resistance on the accelerationist far-right.