Digital Radicalization and Campus Antisemitism: The Role of Social Media Networks in Mainstreaming Extremist Rhetoric

Abstract

Abstract Antizionist campus groups in the United States were active well before the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza. However, they have increasingly moved to the center of public debate over the boundaries between pro-Palestinian activism, support for Hamas, and antisemitism. Drawing on a comprehensive dataset-including nearly 10,000 recorded antisemitic incidents across 571 universities, over 1,000 anti-Israel campus groups at 368 institutions, and more than 76,000 Instagram posts from 662 accounts-this study analyzes how digital coordination, radicalized rhetoric, and offline mobilization have converged on US campuses, particularly in the wake of October 7. It identifies the central actors behind a coordinated network of campus and off-campus groups whose messaging increasingly mirrors that of designated terrorist organizations, and shows that radicalized language once confined to the fringes-including the glorification of violence and the demonization of Israel-has since gained traction in mainstream online discourse. Key findings include: a strong statistical association between anti-Israel group presence and antisemitic incidents, especially pronounced on campuses already experiencing elevated incident rates; a surge in antisemitic incidents immediately following October 7 and a peak during the spring 2024 encampments; a significant intensification of online activity by campus groups after October 7, facilitated by Instagram’s co-authorship feature; and the emergence of a dense collaboration network linking local student organizations-above all SJP chapters-with radical off-campus groups and foreign ideological actors. These findings highlight the urgent need to understand and confront rising antisemitism and radicalization on US campuses.