As growing numbers of people access the internet, it has also grown as a medium for white nationalists. Podcasts in particular present a unique media form for misinformation and white nationalist ideology to spread as they are not regulated by the Federal Trade Commission in the United States. As a result of this lack of regulation, the following questions are central to this paper: what role does misinformation play in influencing white nationalist ideology? What are the consequences? How do podcasts serve as a medium for white nationalist ideology and misinformation to spread online? This research project reveals how white nationalism has become more attractive and mainstream over the past ten years, largely around the Presidency of Donald Trump. Analyzing and researching white nationalism in the present is necessary to better understand and tackle the issue at large. To fully understand these questions, I engage in a summative content analysis of several prominent conservative podcasts and conclude interviews with leading scholars of global studies and global communications, all while using a feminist lens of analysis. While these podcasts differ on the extremity of their views, I find that they share a similar sentiment of resentment and the dear of a loss of identity as a white race, while utilizing and relying on misinformation. The themes shared among all of the shows are identified as: (1) a distrust in institutions, (2) fear-mongering, and (3) a belief that white people - need to “regain their power”. The implications of this loom large due to the sheer number of listeners among the podcasts. Certainly, future research is necessary to fully understand exactly how podcasts impact listeners, yet preliminary evidence is clear that podcasts with a white nationalist ideology presents a danger. White nationalists believe they, as white people, hold an inherent power over people of color, and need to take this power back; the dissemination of this ideology through podcasts only amplifies this message.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/45183 |
| Date | 25 September 2022 |
| Creators | Arenth, Nicole Paige |
| Contributors | McEvoy, Sandra, Piston, Spencer |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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