White genocide conspiracy: A rhetorical vision of fear and hate on Twitter (now <i>X</i>)

Our study shifts the focus from social media and hate websites to explore how right-wing actors spread the “white genocide” conspiracy theory on a mainstream platform like <i>Twitter</i> (now <i>X</i>). Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyze #whitegenocide tweets from four weeks aligned with major news events during Trump's first term (2019–2020). Our qualitative analysis uncovers how right-wing actors use “just enough” text or visual elements to articulate a rhetorical vision of fear that coalesces into three themes: Jews as the Chosen enemies, preserving whiteness, and reverse racism. We support our findings with quantitative content analysis, word co-occurrence analysis, and network analysis, highlighting which specific symbolic cues amplify the spread of the white genocide conspiracy. Combining approaches provides a more holistic and nuanced understanding of how right-wing actors frame the white genocide conspiracy theory in the paranoid style. This framing cultivates a fear that <i>others</i> (e.g., immigrants, Black people, or Jews) threaten white people's rights, freedom, and culture. These narratives may resonate with those who share a similar identity, fostering a collective reality and group consciousness that encourages an “us versus them” mentality, hindering efforts to find common ground with those who hold different views.本研究将研究焦点从社交媒体与仇恨网站转向主流平台（如推特（Twitter），现更名为X），探讨右翼行动者如何在该类平台上传播“白人种族灭绝阴谋论（white genocide conspiracy theory）”。本研究采用混合研究方法（mixed-methods approach），对特朗普第一任期（2019-2020年）内与重大新闻事件相关的四周时段中带#whitegenocide标签的推文展开分析。质性分析（qualitative analysis）揭示，右翼行动者通过仅使用适量文本与视觉元素，构建出带有恐惧色彩的修辞叙事，可归纳为三大核心主题：作为特选之敌的犹太人、守护白人身份，以及反向种族主义（reverse racism）。本研究通过量化内容分析（quantitative content analysis）、词汇共现分析（word co-occurrence analysis）与网络分析（network analysis）验证研究发现，并明确哪些特定符号线索会加剧“白人种族灭绝阴谋论”的传播。多方法结合的研究路径能够更全面且细致地阐释右翼行动者以偏执风格（paranoid style）构建“白人种族灭绝阴谋论”的具体方式。此类叙事构建出一种恐惧氛围：认为他者（others，如移民、黑人或犹太人）正威胁着白人的权利、自由与文化。此类叙事能够引发身份认同相似群体的共鸣，构建出集体认知与群体意识，助长“非我即敌”的思维模式，阻碍不同立场群体寻求共识的努力。