Fortifying Hate

In this paper, I seek to gain a better understanding of the alt right presence on YouTube. This research focuses on two particular YouTube channels hosted by the alt-right figures, Stefan Molyneux and Hunter Avallone. Videos published during the 2019 calendar year from both channels are analyzed for content and videos are placed into categories. From there, the categories are subdivided into ‘institutional political’ and ‘social issue’ based on content. T-tests for both channels examine the significance of engagement with each category of content. Engagement in this research is based on exact numerical value of views, likes, and comments received on each YouTube video.The alt-right is not only a growing movement, but it is also crossing over into more mainstream media. With this, tolerance for alt-right rhetoric expands and fringe groups can follow their lead. The 2016 election was a pivotal moment for the alt-right in American politics. Since then, the alt-right has been working towards securing their movement and beliefs as a legitimate political stance. Mainstream attention for the alt-right has allowed the group to expand and recruit. The most prominent way this is carried out is through social media.The consideration must be made that, although referred to as the “alt-right”, the movement is a loose collection of smaller groups with no formal organization nor leadership. The alt-right is not a political party, there is no centralized power, nor is there an established, shared platform.Overall, the results show that the alt-right YouTube channels which were studied produce a wide variety of content which includes humor, self-help, and slighter levels of political commentary. YouTube viewers did not seem consistently more or less drawn to content focusing on institutional political topics than content focusing on other social issues. However, the variety of content offered is itself a takeaway of just how diverse and compelling the alt-right can be in its social media platforms.