How it works: To study the connection between extremist groups online and Russian propaganda, researchers mapped what they call “hate clusters” (online fringe extremist groups) that have posted links to Russian media.
They identified 734 extremist groups, and surveyed whether and how often those groups shared links to Russian state media across five social networks, from June 2019 through January 2020.
Key takeaways: The findings suggest extremist hate groups that post links to Russian media tend to originate from places with deep racial divides, including North America, Europe, South Africa, Australia, and Nordic regions.
“The common theme is white frustration, which bleeds into ‘Who can I blame?” Johnson said. This is why extremist groups online often bleed into one another organically. “They are looking to see whether there are other communities online around the world that also feel the way they do.”
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