Constructed Victimhood : A Pathway to Mainstreaming Hate on Social Media

Carmen Celestini analyzes social media posts from both mainstream and alternative platforms to demonstrate how “anti-woke” extremists in Canada capitalize on perceived injustices to co-opt a fabricated social identity of victimhood, both online and off.

Using a networked thematic analysis framework, Celestini examines posts from white, Christian Canadian nationalist and far-right social media accounts to identify tropes of persecution used by these groups to perpetuate regressive, inequitable worldviews. Each chapter analyzes specific hashtags and movements to build a fuller understanding of the ways in which they leverage these tropes to influence political discourse online and, ultimately, mobilize emotions into real-world political action. As extremists weave a dystopian narrative of the nation for those who are cisgender, Christian, and white, Celestini argues, they intentionally stoke sentiments of disenfranchisement and unrest within this demographic, positioning conspiracy theories as the explanation and support for conservative leaders as the solution.

By focusing on the Canadian landscape, Constructed Victimhood highlights the growing influence of populist leaders and online rhetoric on the democratic foundations of nations on a global scale, regardless of geographic location or level of development. The danger posed toward marginalized communities and democracy itself demands further study of these movements – before it’s too late.