Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Criminology

Faculty/School

Faculty of Human and Social Sciences

First Advisor

Dr Tarah Hodgkinson

Advisor Role

Supervisor/ First Reader

Second Advisor

Dr Tony Christensen

Advisor Role

Second Reader

Abstract

Independent, online microcelebrity influencers are increasingly many people’s source of news. A popular group of these influencers, called the Alternative Influence Network (AIN) has come under scrutiny in recent years for collaborating with radical, far-right political actors to advance particular viewpoints (Lewis, 2018). While those within the AIN claim these outputs represent their freedom of speech, some researchers have voiced concern around the possibility of these influencers proliferating or even popularizing radical political ideals. Steven Crowder is among the most popular influencers in the AIN. He performs a daily show, ‘Louder with Crowder’, to his 5.8 million YouTube subscribers. In this study, I analyze the content of Crowder’s most popular episodes. I use Joel Best’s (2013) model of constructing social problems as a framework to investigate how Crowder constructs the problem of “the Left” on his show. Findings suggest that not only is “the Left’ constructed as a problem, but Crowder sometimes proposes violent actions as solutions to this problem. Furthermore, and of particular interest, his conclusions also endorse financial support of Crowder and his channel. This raises important questions about the actual motivations behind his construction of “the Left” and his online presence more broadly.

Convocation Year

2024

Convocation Season

Spring

Download

Share

COinS