The Subtle Spread of Hateful Memes: Examining Engagement Intentions Among Parents of Adolescents

Abstract

Within the ubiquitous landscape of social media, far-right groups and actors have taken advantage of the ways content is produced and spread on mainstream social media platforms. Far-right groups, including the alt-right, are using social media in ways that entice people into far-right spaces that perpetuate hate online and in person. The alt-right spreads hateful messaging through Internet memes, and those who are unfamiliar with alt-right strategies may encounter these memes and engage with them. In this study, we examined whether parents of adolescents would engage with alt-right memes as well as if they understood the memes. We utilized a novel research design by presenting participants with memes and asking questions about engagement. We also included a measure of New Media Literacy to assess participants’ skills with navigating social media. Results reveal that a majority of parent participants would either knowingly interact with at least one alt-right meme or they were unable to discern the covert messaging in the alt-right memes. The impact of engagement with alt-right content on social media needs to be addressed in order to inform approaches to educate adults, especially parents, about how hateful ideologies spread on the Internet.