Extremist identity creation through performative infighting on Steam.

Area of Science:

• Social network analysis
• Online radicalization studies
• Digital sociology

Background:

• Steam's social features have been co-opted by neo-fascist and neo-Nazi groups over the last five years.
• These extremist communities utilize Steam groups and user networks for socialization and identity formation.
• Hateful and violent content is shared within these insular networks and spread to public forums like game reviews.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the structure and characteristics of far-right extremist networks on the Steam platform.
• To investigate the extent of collective radicalization and mobilization within these online communities.
• To assess the risks posed by these activities to users and social safety.

Main Methods:

• Utilized open-source data for analysis.
• Employed scaled social network analysis techniques.
• Examined user interactions, group formations, and content dissemination patterns.

Main Results:

• Identified large-scale socialization and identity creation networks used by extremist groups on Steam.
• Observed the sharing of hateful and violent content within these networks.
• Demonstrated characteristics of collective radicalization and mobilization within the far-right ecosystem on Steam.

Conclusions:

• The far-right has established a significant presence on Steam, fostering radicalization and mobilization.
• These online activities present immediate dangers to gamers and developers.
• The long-term implications include risks to broader social safety and the integrity of online communities.