ABSTRACT
In the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential election in the United States, as media, political operatives, the American public and the global community began to come to terms with the outcome, it soon became evident that theuse of new media was key to the resurrection of old hates. The chapter explores the message content, construction and dissemination of alt-right themes—misogyny, racism, white supremacy, xenophobia, Islamophobia, fear of immigrants and “white genocide”—employed in the campaign discourses of Donald J. Trump and outlines how they propelled him into the White House. Online hate groups from alt-right activists to the anti-woman crusaders of Gamergate, together with political activists adept at the creation of propagandized fake news such as Stephen Bannon of Breitbart, were key in spreading xenophobia and white supremacy over social media platforms, most notably Twitter and Facebook. The effects of these messages are drawn out in an analysis of voting patterns and exit polling datathat demonstrate the efficacy of the alt-right influences of pushing Trump over the top in key swing states.
