Digital Reconstruction : A Critical Examination of the History and Adaptation of Ku Klux Klan Websites

Kingdon, Ashton and Winter, Aaron (2024) Digital Reconstruction : A Critical Examination of the History and Adaptation of Ku Klux Klan Websites. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. ISSN 0886-2605 (In Press)

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Abstract

In response to the data revolution, academic research and media attention has increasingly focused on the technological adaption and innovation displayed by the far right. The greatest attention is paid to social media and how groups and organisations are utilising technological advancement and growth in virtual networks to increase recruitment and advance radicalisation on a global scale. As with most social and political endeavours, certain technologies are in vogue and thus draw the attention of both users and regulators and service providers. This creates a technological blind spot within which extremist groups frequently operate older and less well regarded technologies without the oversight that one might expect. This article examines the less-well studied traditional and official websites of the Ku Klux Klan, the most established and iconic of American far-right organisations. By incorporating non-participant observation of online spaces and thematic analysis, this research analyses the evolution of 26 websites, from their emergence in the early 1990s to the present day. We examine the ways in which traditional printed communications and other ephemera have progressed with advances in technology, focusing on the following central elements of Klan political activism and community formation: Klan identity, organisational history, aims and objectives; technology and outreach, including online merchandise and event organisation; and the constructions of whiteness and racism. The results add value and insight to comparable work by offering a unique historical insight into the ways in which the Klan have progressed and made use of Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web3 technologies.