Decoding Antisemitism in YouTube Videos
While there is already research out there on other social media, there is a lack of reliable findings on platform-specific strategies, forms of communication, and narratives used by antisemitic YouTubers. This collaborative project fills that gap through methodologically and substantively robust basic research, applying this research to two communication formats and broadly accessible scholarly communication. Methodologically, the project establishes an innovative, interdisciplinary, and multi-methodological approach that accounts for both multimodal video formats and the participatory logic of the YouTube platform. In terms of content, the project analyzes four socio-politically significant phenomena: (extreme) right-wing, (extreme) left-wing, and Islamist content, as well as popular infotainment formats addressing antisemitism and the Middle East conflict, with a particular focus on Israel-related antisemitism. Based on the findings and a needs assessment, the project develops two formats to reach users via educational outreach and content creators.
The DISPLAYt sub-project seeks to analyze left-wing discourses about antisemitism and the Middle East conflict on YouTube. It systematically compares popular English- and German-language content to uncover context-specific communication patterns.
DISPLAYt examines the forms of communication, narratives, and individual strategies of antisemitic discourse on YouTube with a particular focus on (extreme) left-wing content on antisemitism and the Middle East conflict. Together with the network partners, the sub-project is developing an interdisciplinary and multi-methodological approach to analyzing YouTube videos. In terms of content, it qualitatively analyzes popular German- and English-language formats and systematically compares them to identify common narratives, methods of presentation, and argumentation. The results are then compared with the findings of the other sub-projects on right-wing, Islamist, and popular infotainment formats. In addition to conducting basic research, DISPLAYt is working with partners in the field to develop two communication formats that address those in educational outreach and content creators. It is testing these in Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, and Berlin.
The aim of the sub-project DACIVO is first to analyze Islamist antisemitic positions on YouTube and to compare content and formats in this regard. Secondly, it examines the topics of Israel and the Middle East conflict in German- and English-language infotainment and explanatory videos.
The sub-project will then develop two communication formats that will be utilized in educational outreach and by content creators to address viewers. These will be developed on the basis of the research results generated and a needs assessment conducted while developing the project methods.
The sub-project DECORA analyzes antisemitic communication strategies within right-wing extremist and New Right communities on YouTube. It examines multimodal content, coded language, and visual narratives in German- and English-language videos, extending the “Decoding Antisemitism” to video platforms.
DECORA investigates antisemitic communication strategies in right-wing extremist and New Right communities on YouTube. The project focuses on English-language content from the Alt-Right and German-language videos associated with the New Right. It analyzes verbal, visual, and multimodal forms of communication, including coded language, implicit narratives, and forms of Israel-related antisemitism.
DECORA combines qualitative discourse analysis, multimodal analysis rooted in film studies, and exploratory AI-driven methods. Using this approach, the initiative compiles and compares multimodal corpora comprising videos, comment sections, and platform-specific interactions.
The sub-project builds upon the approach of “Decoding Antisemitism,” which encompasses an international corpus of over 300,000 annotated online comments. It seeks to identify and analyze the platform-specific dynamics of antisemitic communication on YouTube and to develop methodological foundations for researching hate speech on video platforms.
Kontakt
Dr. Thomas Grotum
Universität Trier - Forschungs- und Dokumentationsstelle SEAL/Initiative Interdisziplinäre Antisemitismusforschung (IIA)
Marc Seul
Universität Trier
Dr. Matthias J. Becker
Weizenbaum-Institut für die vernetzte Gesellschaft e.V.
Deidre Berger
Tikvah Institut
