Towards an understanding of online extremism in Japan

Abstract

Using a large amount of social media data, this study employed a variety of computational methods to investigate online extremism in Japan. In order to explain the increase of online extremism, this study identifies extremists by estimating the ideological position of social media users based on the follower-followee relationship. Following this, this study characterizes the behavioral patterns of such individuals from two perspectives: comparison of profile information and preference in online discussions among different ideological groups. Computational methods provide many insights into the online extremism in Japan. First, this study finds that although online extremism has been frequently debated about in the recent years, it is somewhat surprising there were a relatively limited number of extremists. Moreover, this study finds that such individuals are more likely to spread information and express their views than moderate users. They particularly exhibit a significant preference to engage in discussions related to political issues or social issues. As a consequence, their behavior and views are more likely to capture a lot of attention and generate influence as a consequence. Taken together, the findings in this study suggest that online extremism in Japan is attributed to the behavioral patterns of extremists, rather than their increasing number.