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Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation

Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation

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Nov 12 2025, 9:06 PM
#1
I've been slowly reading this book by Andrew Marantz from 2019.

Quote:From a rising star at The New Yorker, a deeply immersive chronicle of how the optimistic entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley set out to create a free and democratic internet--and how the cynical propagandists of the alt-right exploited that freedom to propel the extreme into the mainstream.

Honestly so far it has been a really interesting read. If anyone thought the The Rhetoric Tricks, Traps, and Tactics of White Nationalism article was illuminating, I feel like this book digs deeper into that topic.

I think I'm only like four or five chapters in, but the author basically spent a lot of time scouring the "alt right" internet to see how Trumpism reigned supreme in the 2016 presidential election through the use of social media.

So far, this book has given me more to think about, in terms of online communities, like possibly what bothered me about places like Ovarit/Vexxed, ala their noble "place for all women" message and the right-wing Overton window shift many have felt they noticed there. I'm on my phone and perpetually tired, but I hope someday soon to write up my thoughts on specific excerpts from this book.

I'm also hoping that this book can help illuminate ways to defend against right-wing creep online and how to maintain left-wing communities.
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Nov 12 2025, 9:06 PM #1

I've been slowly reading this book by Andrew Marantz from 2019.

Quote:From a rising star at The New Yorker, a deeply immersive chronicle of how the optimistic entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley set out to create a free and democratic internet--and how the cynical propagandists of the alt-right exploited that freedom to propel the extreme into the mainstream.

Honestly so far it has been a really interesting read. If anyone thought the The Rhetoric Tricks, Traps, and Tactics of White Nationalism article was illuminating, I feel like this book digs deeper into that topic.

I think I'm only like four or five chapters in, but the author basically spent a lot of time scouring the "alt right" internet to see how Trumpism reigned supreme in the 2016 presidential election through the use of social media.

So far, this book has given me more to think about, in terms of online communities, like possibly what bothered me about places like Ovarit/Vexxed, ala their noble "place for all women" message and the right-wing Overton window shift many have felt they noticed there. I'm on my phone and perpetually tired, but I hope someday soon to write up my thoughts on specific excerpts from this book.

I'm also hoping that this book can help illuminate ways to defend against right-wing creep online and how to maintain left-wing communities.

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Elsacat
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Nov 14 2025, 8:53 AM
#2
This sounds like one of those books I should read and that I would find interesting, but like I would feel so much rage while reading it, so I hesitate to get into it.
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Elsacat
Nov 14 2025, 8:53 AM #2

This sounds like one of those books I should read and that I would find interesting, but like I would feel so much rage while reading it, so I hesitate to get into it.

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Nov 16 2025, 12:14 AM
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(Nov 14 2025, 8:53 AM)Elsacat This sounds like one of those books I should read and that I would find interesting, but like I would feel so much rage while reading it, so I hesitate to get into it.

lol. Probably is a personal thing, but to be honest, I went in thinking the same thing, and for some reason I am... not feeling so shitty and enraged..? I don't know why... I really thought I would be, so I'm surprised. I think it is because I am viewing it from the perspective of "well, it happened, why did it happen?" and then my purpose for finding out the "why did it happen" is so that I can then ask "well, how can I help make it better?" Idk, lately I've been feeling generally better in life, maybe that is helping too. Maybe I haven't gotten to the enraging parts yet. :harold:

It's so weird. The first few chapters are about a bunch of alt-right online socialites partying at a MAGA event after Trump's 2016 win, the author details neo-nazis, racists, misogynists, and so on, and yet they're written in such a way that they feel... small. I don't feel enraged. They're "human," but not in the sense of "oh I empathize with them," absolutely not at all, there is nothing to empathize with, with these bizarre people, who are a collective mix of intelligently hateful and naively stupid. They're "human" in the sense of, like, they're not impossible to take down..? Idk. It's so weird. It's fascinating. It's like an observational documentary as a book.

I've been reading it on a kindle, so I can't copy/paste section of the book in a notes app like I could when I read books on Google Play Books with my phone to comment on later. And my memory has been kind of bad lately, so I often forget things the next day, but I think once I fully read through the book, I'll flip through my physical paperback to hopefully remember what I thought was relevant.

Some things I'm just going to jot down now before I inevitably forget:

  • Impress Polly and YYN were talking in a thread, something about a 4chan for women, Polly suggested. YYN disagreed, mentioned there didn't need to be more freezepeach dumpsters on the internet. (Also side note: I've been wanting to go in there and reply and let Polly know there is already somewhat of a female 4chan, I have learned, lol.) Anyway, the book mentions this in a way. About how the internet technolibertarians of Facebook/reddit/etc. basically opened the floodgates to altright crap by defending "well everyone has a right to say whatever" kind of online platforms.

  • I swear there were other points I wanted to write but I guess I have already forgotten. :catcry: Perhaps next time.
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Nov 16 2025, 12:14 AM #3

(Nov 14 2025, 8:53 AM)Elsacat This sounds like one of those books I should read and that I would find interesting, but like I would feel so much rage while reading it, so I hesitate to get into it.

lol. Probably is a personal thing, but to be honest, I went in thinking the same thing, and for some reason I am... not feeling so shitty and enraged..? I don't know why... I really thought I would be, so I'm surprised. I think it is because I am viewing it from the perspective of "well, it happened, why did it happen?" and then my purpose for finding out the "why did it happen" is so that I can then ask "well, how can I help make it better?" Idk, lately I've been feeling generally better in life, maybe that is helping too. Maybe I haven't gotten to the enraging parts yet. :harold:

It's so weird. The first few chapters are about a bunch of alt-right online socialites partying at a MAGA event after Trump's 2016 win, the author details neo-nazis, racists, misogynists, and so on, and yet they're written in such a way that they feel... small. I don't feel enraged. They're "human," but not in the sense of "oh I empathize with them," absolutely not at all, there is nothing to empathize with, with these bizarre people, who are a collective mix of intelligently hateful and naively stupid. They're "human" in the sense of, like, they're not impossible to take down..? Idk. It's so weird. It's fascinating. It's like an observational documentary as a book.

I've been reading it on a kindle, so I can't copy/paste section of the book in a notes app like I could when I read books on Google Play Books with my phone to comment on later. And my memory has been kind of bad lately, so I often forget things the next day, but I think once I fully read through the book, I'll flip through my physical paperback to hopefully remember what I thought was relevant.

Some things I'm just going to jot down now before I inevitably forget:

  • Impress Polly and YYN were talking in a thread, something about a 4chan for women, Polly suggested. YYN disagreed, mentioned there didn't need to be more freezepeach dumpsters on the internet. (Also side note: I've been wanting to go in there and reply and let Polly know there is already somewhat of a female 4chan, I have learned, lol.) Anyway, the book mentions this in a way. About how the internet technolibertarians of Facebook/reddit/etc. basically opened the floodgates to altright crap by defending "well everyone has a right to say whatever" kind of online platforms.

  • I swear there were other points I wanted to write but I guess I have already forgotten. :catcry: Perhaps next time.

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