Hate as entertainment: Youth finding community in nihilistic online antisemitism, warns ADL

Online communities steeped in nihilism and antisemitism are drawing in young people, not necessarily through shared ideology, but by offering a sense of community and morbid entertainment, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

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I don’t know that people are joining these [online groups] because they want to commit violence. I think they’re joining them because it’s interesting, it’s different, they’re finding a community, and maybe they just end up believing it

These groups, often found in the darker corners of the internet, bring together a mix of hatreds and conspiracies. While they may lack a single unifying ideology, antisemitism is a pervasive element. The ADL's Center on Extremism warns that this phenomenon is growing, with individuals sometimes becoming radicalized and believing the hateful content after initially joining for the novelty or sense of belonging.

Oren Segal, who leads the ADL's Center on Extremism, highlighted the disturbing allure of these online spaces. "I don’t know that people are joining these [online groups] because they want to commit violence. I think they’re joining them because it’s interesting, it’s different, they’re finding a community, and maybe they just end up believing it," Segal said. He noted that outsiders might be surprised not by the horrific content, but by how compelling it is to those involved.

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The average person viewing these forums “wouldn’t be surprised by the horrible images, they would be surprised by how compelling it is,”

The ADL's Center on Extremism actively monitors these online spaces, employing investigators and analysts to track trends, identify bad actors, and detect threats. They share this intelligence with law enforcement and Jewish communal security groups. Last year, the center analyzed nearly 30 million social media posts and issued 101 threat alerts to 258 law enforcement agencies. This work is part of a broader network of Jewish security organizations dedicated to protecting American Jews.

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Our job is to tell communities who’s coming after them