It Doesn’t Take Extremes to Trigger Hate: A Mixed-Methods Study on Meme Extremity and User Comments on 9GAG
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Users engage with socially and politically relevant topics by sharing memes and adopting the creative styles of meme-sharing platforms like 9GAG. Although memes can contain political critique, research also linked them to hate speech and increasingly extreme content. Little attention has been paid to entertainment-first platforms, where (perceived) homogeneity, anonymity, and humor-driven social norms may shape how political and hateful content is produced and discussed in the comment section. This study addresses this gap using a sequential mixed-methods design. First, we analyzed 343 memes on 9GAG with quantitative content analysis, categorizing them into classes based on varying degrees of extreme content using latent class analysis. Second, via qualitative content analysis, we investigated the comment sections of six memes representing each identified class to determine how extreme content levels influence hateful comments. Results show that anonymity and ingroup identity foster a climate in which hate is normalized and often obscured through humor. However, even purely humorous memes provoked hateful comments, suggesting that factors beyond meme extremity, like topic sensitivity and referenced outgroups, also shape hateful follow-up communication.
Source: Social Media + Society
Authors: Antonia Drexel, Ursula Kristin Schmid
Language: English
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,000
OpenAlex ID: W7212392164