The reasoning of the /pol/itically incorrect: Negative attitudes towards immigrants expressed on the online platform of 4chan.

Abstract

The influential online discussion board 4chan is known for its production of memes and obscene content. Specifically the politically incorrect board (/pol/) is perceived as the online base of the alt-right. Although 4chan is a highly relevant medium to assess prejudice and online expression, the platform is highly understudied. From previous research we know that prejudice towards immigrants is expressed on /pol/, but we know little about how these attitudes are voiced. Therefore, this study aims to examine the way /pol/-users express negative attitudes towards immigrants. 22 relevant threads were collected and analysed using a qualitative content analysis. Insights from social identity theory and integrated threat theory were used as main explanations of negative attitudes towards immigrants in the analysis of the threads. The results show that users express anti-immigrant sentiment by creating social categories on the basis of national identity. In this way, a country’s natives are categorized as the in-group and immigrants as the out-group. Threats and negative stereotypes were used to justify prejudice and protect users’ dominant position in the social hierarchy. These findings demonstrate how negative attitudes towards immigrants are voiced and justified in everyday interaction on an online platform characterized by a high level of anonymity and ephemerality.