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[–] 17144490? ago 

the culture war

This isn't entirely related, but it's another whitepill (that would be deleted as its own thread) on how humorless, incompetent academics and thinktanks with progressive agendas strive vainly to understand memetics.

inb4 tiresome divisionfagging

Just assess the form without judging the content.

Understanding Normiefication

A Cross-Platform Analysis of the QAnon Conspiracy Theory

Normiefication is a vernacular concept that describes a process of normalization where “underground” content from fringe subcultural online communities travels to and is popularized on mainstream social media platforms and news media. The concept borrows from subcultural actor language where “the mainstream” is said to be populated by “normies”: regular people that are not familiar with the Internet’s latest subcultural trends. Our research explores the various pathways of normiefication in an empirical manner, inquiring whether such a process can indeed be said to exist, and how exactly it works in a particular case. To this end, it takes the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory as a case study. Does this case warrant the concept of normiefication?

This research took the imaginary vernacular concept of the “normie” and attempted to test whether it could be what we refer to as normiefication. Although studying such information diffusion is nothing, this concept highlights the online spread of subcultural ideas and obscure vernacular from obscure origins to mainstream attention, afforded by the ease of shareability of the Internet. Tracing such diffusion might shine light on how fringe areas of the Web might form hotbeds for the spread of outlandish ideas and their subsequent normalization. It also shines light on the role of the “mainstream”, which might willingly or unwillingly provide oxygen to fringe ideas.

As a case study, we traced the QAnon conspiracy across subcultural strata to mainstream layers. To a large extent, our findings can be said to confirm the “normiefication thesis”. We indeed observed a gradual spillover 4chan, Reddit, 8chan, YouTube, Facebook, and, ultimately, online news media. While activity on the origin, 4chan, quickly dwindled, the results suggest platforms like YouTube might function as “bridge platforms” that bring the conspiracy to a wider audience online. The research further suggests online news sources reporting on QAnon in August 2018 did somewhat amplify the conspiracy across platforms, creating a “Streisand effect” and providing “oxygen” to once-fringe ideas (Phillips, 2018). However, the effects of this amplification have to be further explored by analysing how the conspiracy was discussed.

As mentioned, this study merely provided some quantitative insights into the prevalence of the QAnon. Analysis on how the conspiracy was engaged with over time and across platforms would be an informative next step. How did the Q-related discussion change over time and across platforms? Could this identify publics that are engaging with the conspiracy as outright activism, or are there also elements of ironic roleplay to be distinguished? Regarding the concept of normiefication, conducting other case studies could further test the salience of the concept, for instance by tracing the use of a specific meme across subcultural and mainstream Internet platforms.

https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/WinterSchool2019Normiefication

(site won't archive anywhere)

https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/DmiPeople

Take a step back and consider the resources that went into this study, the superficial and dismissive takeaways, and the lack of any insight or actionable conclusion.

fringe subcultural online communities

far-right QAnon conspiracy theory

The actual contents of the deranged conspiracy are not of interest here.

They (presumably) expect worthwhile results when they can't even contain their vitriol long enough to conduct an impartial study. They don't even hypothetically consider that truth goes viral to meet a widespread demand. Instead, they just reinforce their echo chamber and, as always, work in bad faith.

Yet again, we're reminded that our enemies recruit based on oppression status, inclusivity, and blind ideology instead of talent…and they expect success.

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[–] 17144493? ago 

Haha, you're right this shit reads like somebody just trying to fill a certain word count so he can get his grant money. They just don't get it at all. Their biggest weakness is their unwillingness to actually dig into the material and find out what is resonating with so many people, because they know that if they do that they're in danger of having their own perceptions shifted toward the right. They subconsciously understand that we are correct and their only defense is to censor the ideas and not give them any oxygen.

That's why I am positive that we could potentially win this culture war and take back our nation without firing a shot, if we try to temper our pessimism and nihilism, and replace it with proactive strategies. We have the truth on our side, that's the biggest advantage one could ask for. They have to lie about everything and manipulate people into believing their lies, but we have truth and beauty that people instinctively accept before it is brainwashed out of them.

The culture war is the last stop before civil war. If we don't want to see our nation destroyed and our families murdered by Bolsheviks, it's time to start seriously making efforts in this arena. I will say it again because it is so damned important - if you are not a creative artist type or a writer or musician, that's fine, but please be willing to support those who are. They need your money more than politicians do, and they are way more important than politicians. Politics are downstream from culture.

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[–] 17144496? ago 

That's why I am positive that we could potentially win this culture war and take back our nation without firing a shot

This "study"—if it has any value at all—shows us what's working, why, and how, and lights a path toward further "normiefication".

While activity on the origin, 4chan, quickly dwindled, the results suggest platforms like YouTube might function as “bridge platforms” that bring the conspiracy to a wider audience online.

From this, we can infer that so-called "bridge" media (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook) are the crucial link between us and the mainstream.

Circling back to OP's >>12872306 proposition

My suggestion is this: We need to start learning to and striving to create pro-white entertaining content for our youth

it's clear that we need to disseminate our ideology on more accessible platforms. Obviously, censorship is a problem that leads to two possibilities:

soften the message to avoid censorship

make our own platforms

The latter is somewhat impractical, so I'm soliciting ideas on how to weaponize these studies to create our own "bridge" content.

Here's an archived mirror of the study.

http://salhagen.nl/dmi19/normiefication

http://archive.is/ZvgTG