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

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 Twitter (now X). 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 others (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.