The day after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the internet saw a significant increase in calls for violence, particularly a surge in calls for a modern-day civil war. This disturbing trend reflects a small group of users who create and amplify messages glorifying mass shooters and perpetrators of targeted violence.
Moonshot, a company that monitors domestic violent extremism (DVE) spaces online, documented a staggering 633% increase in calls for civil war following the assassination attempt. The calls were found across various online platforms such as 4Chan, Reddit, YouTube, and new sites catering to far-right discussions aimed at disillusioned young men.
Elizabeth Neumann, the chief strategy officer for Moonshot, emphasized that the uptick in online calls for violence is common in spaces that glorify violence. She highlighted the existence of an online ecosystem that actively encourages various forms of violence, from political civil war to mindless school shootings.
This alarming trend is not new, as every mass shooting or instance of targeted violence in the past decade has been followed by a surge in calls for violence online. In many cases, perpetrators of such acts have posted about violence prior to carrying out their heinous deeds in the real world.
One such case is that of Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who opened fire at the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The FBI is still investigating his online footprint but has discovered troubling content believed to be associated with him. FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate revealed that a social media account linked to the shooter contained over 700 comments reflecting antisemitic and anti-immigration themes, political violence, and extreme ideologies.
Crooks’ actions at the rally resulted in injuries to several individuals, including the death of a volunteer firefighter and father of two, Corey Comperatore. The Secret Service swiftly neutralized the threat by eliminating Crooks within seconds of the shooting.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Moonshot also uncovered 2,051 specific threats or encouragements to violence online, more than double the regular volume of daily threats documented by the group. Everytown for Gun Safety collaborated with Moonshot on a new report tracking online discussions of mass shootings and targeted violence from January through June of the previous year.
The report revealed the common glorification of mass shootings and targeted violence, as well as the valorization of perpetrators in online discussions. It also highlighted the role of Google searches as a gateway to platforms hosting troubling content, with a smaller subset of individuals advocating for real-world violence.
John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, called for greater research on the link between violent online rhetoric and real-world attacks. He emphasized the need for social media platforms to prioritize public safety over traffic numbers and proactively moderate spaces that foster hate and violence.
While mainstream platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have made efforts to remove harmful content, challenges persist. YouTube, in particular, struggles with addressing content that glorifies or promotes violent tragedies such as school shootings. However, the platform removed over 2.1 million videos violating its policies against harmful or dangerous content in the first quarter of 2024.
Fringe extremist platforms that do not monitor extremist content have emerged, including websites dedicated to discussing and glorifying mass shootings. The report by Everytown and Moonshot identified the perpetrators of the Columbine High School shooting as the most celebrated in online discussions.
Salli Garrigan, a Moms Demand Action volunteer and survivor of the Columbine shooting, expressed concern over the easy access to violent content glorifying tragic events. She emphasized the need for stricter moderation and regulation of such content on social media platforms.
Reddit, a popular online platform, reiterated its strict content policies prohibiting violence or incitement of harm against individuals or groups. The platform has safety teams dedicated to monitoring and removing violating content following significant events.
In contrast, 4Chan, another online platform, did not respond to requests for comment regarding their content moderation practices.
The rise in online calls for violence and glorification of mass shooters underscores the urgent need for greater awareness, research, and intervention to combat domestic violent extremism and hate speech online. Public safety must take precedence over online engagement metrics, and platforms must actively monitor and remove harmful content to prevent real-world violence.
