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Beyond the board: a thematic analysis of political actions from 4chan’s /pol/ board

Author

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  • Kosta Bovan

    (University of Zagreb)

  • Matej Mikašinović-Komšo

    (University of Zagreb)

Abstract

This article aims to understand the organisational practices of digital political actions on 4chan’s /pol/ (Politically Incorrect) board, as well as the underlying worldview within which those actions were nested. By using a qualitative thematic analysis of 21 threads, several themes were identified regarding preferred goals, methods, content, dissemination strategies, and worldview of intentional, orchestrated political actions with supposed real-world effects. Results show that the observed political actions were bottom-up, non-hierarchical, and collective actions, through which collective identity was established despite the almost complete anonymity of the /pol/ board. Additionally, the political actions were marked by the negative perception of Western liberal democracy, extremely negative attitudes toward the Left, minorities, and progressive liberals, antisemitism, and racism - values closely related to the far-right. Although the goals of /pol/ political actions differ, the dominant broader goal is to “redpill the normies” - indoctrinate the general population into denouncing liberal democratic ideology and accepting the far-right worldview.

Suggested Citation

  • Kosta Bovan & Matej Mikašinović-Komšo, 2024. "Beyond the board: a thematic analysis of political actions from 4chan’s /pol/ board," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-03033-1
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-03033-1
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