ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the alt-right’s media strategy, noting how it evolved in the face of new efforts to limit its online presence. Although it included a relatively small number of people, the alt-right was able to garner attention from major media by creating an exaggerated picture of its size and reach – creating a sort of digital Potemkin village on journalists’ computer screens. The alt-right’s engagement with popular media predominantly takes the form of critique. As the alt-right grew in prominence, major online media platforms began to increase their efforts to decrease the movement’s presence. For the most part, ordinary internet users are still using the larger social media platforms, not the alternatives open to alt-right material. There are some alt-right content creators who engage in their own artistic endeavors – writing novels, creating parody songs, and posting comedic cartoons online – but this represents a small percentage of the alt-right’s overall activity.
