Springer Fanaticism, Racism, and Rage Online: Corrupting the Digital Sphere

Fanaticism, Racism, and Rage Online is a critical exploration of digital hate culture and its myriad infiltrations into the modern online community. The book examines radical movements that have emerged both on the fringes of the Internet, as well as throughout the web’s most popular spaces where extremist voices now intermix with mainstream politics and popular culture. This investigation brings to light the different forms of extremist culture on the web, from the blatant hate websites, to the much more invasive faux-social networks, racist political blogs, and pseudo-scientific domains. Review “For anyone who wants a clearer understanding of these master communicators polluting American cyberspace and civic life, this is an authoritative and illuminating read.” (Cherian George, European Journal of Communication, Vol. 34 (2), 2019) Review “At a moment when right-wing extremism has entered the political mainstream to the point where an apparent sympathizer now resides in the White House, Adam Klein’s important new book sheds much-needed light on the role of social media and the Internet in promoting the radical right. Increasingly, we are seeing how purveyors of hate employ savvy online strategies that have actually succeeded in recruiting killers like Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who murdered nine black churchgoers in 2015. Klein’s expansive book explores the frightening world of online hate, but also takes a serious look at ways to combat it. This is a book for our troubled times, and I heartily recommend it.” (Mark Potok, Senior Fellow, Southern Poverty Law Center) “Adam Klein’s book takes us into the digital world of hate groups and reveals the ways that these groups have adapted to the online environment. He underscores the influence of the Internet in fueling fanatical movements and the importance of understanding this phenomenon.” (Thomas K. Nakayama, Professor of Communication Studies, Northeastern University, USA) “Best scholarly overview to date, with content and analysis that anticipated the rise of the alt-right in the Trump campaign.” (Chip Berlet, investigative journalist, author, and scholar studying right-wing populist movements) “This work is likely to be relevant for years, if not decades, to come. It is likely to be a major work on the subject and serve as a ‘go-to’ text on the issue of online bigotry.” (Stanislav Vyotsky, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology, University of Wisconsin, USA) From the Back Cover Fanaticism, Racism, and Rage Online is a critical exploration of digital hate culture and its myriad infiltrations into the modern online community. The book examines radical movements that have emerged both on the fringes of the Internet, as well as throughout the web’s most popular spaces where extremist voices now intermix with mainstream politics and popular culture. This investigation brings to light the different forms of extremist culture on the web, from the blatant hate websites, to the much more invasive faux-social networks, racist political blogs, and pseudo-scientific domains. About the Author Adam Klein is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Pace University, USA.  His work on radical voices in media and politics has been published in Communication Theory and Communication Monographs. He has also been a guest speaker on WNYC’s The Takeaway, and a contributor to the scholarly news site The Conversation. His articles have appeared in The New Republic, Business Insider, and Raw Story.