Ansemism in the Virtual World: The Rise of “Anon”

Christopher S. McIlveen

1. Abstract 3. Methodology 5.Regulaons on Speech in the Virtual World The research conducted was based upon two surveys, one collected by Reddit and one The Internet has created a spectrum of speech, stretching from one extreme to that was conducted for this research itself. There are measures in place to restrict the extent to which an-Semic speech can another that established a basis in which the extreme of hate can thrive benefit from the freedom of expression that is guaranteed in the Constuon as well as In this range of speech, an-Semism has found a new, virtual home, in which Reddit’s general survey provides stascs on the user base populaon such as age the freedom that is guaranteed in the virtual world. Legislave acts can and have been to foster a growing discourse and garner more ideological believers and gender as well as educaon levels used to aempt to regulate hate speech on the Internet, effecvely reducing the The virtually limitless nature of the Internet and its vast reach and influence, in The individual survey provides data on age, race and gender to confirm Reddit’s capacity to which it can be voiced and seen. However, regulaons are few and rarely conjuncon with the unregulated ability to freely speak one’s mind, creates a survey, as well as religious affiliaon and specific quesons directed towards this encompass the narrowly tailored tone to have a large affect. dual edged sword, allowing for the open discourse of beneficial topics, but also research such as knowledge of an-Semic websites for the promoon and dialogue of an-Semic speech, free from the inhibions Secon 230 of the Communicaons Decency Act protects companies from of the physical world, and masked by anonymity online prosecuon based upon what users do with their service or product This paper will aempt to explain who and what “anon” is, and invesgate It has been interpreted to allow websites the right to host regulaons on the Internet that may prevent such explicit an-Semic speech controversial and hateful speech, including an-Semic speech Through this, Reddit will be examined as a host website that allows for such 4. Reddit’s Culture: Who is “Anon? Reddit’s new changes and increased regulaon of their free speech policy has groupthink communies to develop, and will further be used to analyze as well as effecvely shut down many controversial and hate speech communies provide stascs on the demographics of the community as a whole to elaborate Reddit creates a medium in which people of like minds can develop communies that This forced mass protests within the website and a mass exodus of on the queson of “Who is Anon?” Reddit will provide further examples of serve as a place in which they can openly speak their minds, protected by a mask of users away from Reddit, both supporters of those communies, and regulaons within the Internet, in concurrence with the regulaons put in place anonymity. Reddit’s openness to free speech allows communies of an-Semism to supporters of free speech by United States legislaon develop, such as /r/Kiketown, fostering a discourse of an-Semism that is more oen than not, intellectual and thought out, as opposed to rants.

Reddit is an open and easily accessible website, which allows for a high level of interacon and discussion between the site’s users Stascs of Reddit’s survey show nearly ¾ of the users are male and within the ages of 18-34 and have, or are receiving, a bachelors degree Stascs from the individually conducted survey show that nearly 70% of users idenfy as non-religious and ¾ of the users are white www.reddit.com/r/KikeTown What religion do you identify as? What is your race?

6. Conclusion 7% 6% 1% 2% 4% 18% 6% 1%1% 4% An-Semism in the virtual world is free of inhibions that the physical world 5% suffers, allowing for a more complete free speech due to anonymity 6% An-Semism in forum based websites such as Reddit is oen based upon intellectually thought out statements, arguments, and humor, as opposed to blatant 73% an-Semic rants 65% Regulaons of speech on the Internet need to be completely comprehensive and narrowly tailored or they will not have any effect at stopping an-Semic speech www.reddit.com Regulaons on free speech by forum based websites can work if comprehensive, but will cause a poron of the user base to lose faith in the website, creang a less effecve community with less users 2. An-Semism’ Transformaon Online: Christianity Non-religious Hindu Agnostic Islam Judaism Buddhism Not stated White Black Asian Hispanic Mixed Not stated

Typology of Websites Have you heard of any of these websites? Have you posted on any of these websites? The advent of the Internet created countless websites that possessed the capacity to infostormer.com infostormer.com convey any ideological belief within their domain. However, the Internet has witnessed Selected References the creaon of a few disnct forms of websites, through which an-Semism has dailystormer.com dailystormer.com changed drascally within the virtual world. stormfront.org stormfront.org "Kiketown." /r/kiketown. hp://reddit.com/r/kiketown. reddit.com/r/coontown reddit.com/r/coontown Flohr, Paul R. The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1980. Singular based websites conveyed ideas, beliefs and even intellectually thought out reddit.com/r/gasthekikes reddit.com/r/gasthekikes Klein, Adam. A Space for Hate: The White Power Movement’s Adaptaon Into Cyberspace. Litwin Books, 2010. arguments that supported solely the owner or owners of the website reddit.com/r/kiketown reddit.com/r/kiketown Adams, Josh. "White Supremacists, Opposional Culture and the World Wide Web." Social Forces 84, no. 2 (2005): 759-78. Parcipatory websites that present arcles, news and other publicaons to users, voat.co/v/coontown voat.co/v/coontown Weltner, Frank. "Jew Watch News." Jew Watch. hp://jewwatch.com/. with a tool that allows for communicave potenal between users voat.co/v/gasthekikes voat.co/v/gasthekikes Anglin, Andrew. "Contact." Daily Stormer. Web. Stormfront." Stormfront.org. hp://stormfront.org/. Forum based parcipatory websites that are a medium in which the content that is boards.4chan.org/pol boards.4chan.org/pol posted is completely user generated within the forum based community "2011 Reddit Survey." Response Markeng Blog. Reddit, 1 Sept. 2011. Web. 8ch.net/pol 8ch.net/pol Forum websites also carry the anonymity concept that conceals a "/pol/ - Polically Incorrect." Boards.4chan.org/pol/. hp://boards.4chan.org/pol/. 0 15 30 45 60 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 "Secon 230 of the Communicaons Decency Act." Electronic Froner Foundaon. Web. user’s true identy, which allows for an-Semism to occur free of "Gas the Kikes." Reddit/r/GastheKikes. Web. inhibion "Gas the Kikes." Voat.co/v/GastheKikes. Web.