Roll in the Tanks! Measuring Left-wing Extremism on Reddit at Scale
This paper presents the first large-scale analysis of 1.3 million Reddit posts from "tankie" communities, revealing that these left-wing extremists occupy the periphery of the broader far-left sphere, focus on state-level politics and authoritarian regimes rather than social justice, and exhibit toxicity patterns similar to other online extremist groups.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Imagine the internet as a massive, bustling city called "Reddit." In this city, there are thousands of different neighborhoods (called "subreddits") where people gather to talk about specific interests. Most of the research on this city has focused on the "Right-Wing" neighborhoods, which have been very loud and active lately. However, the researchers in this paper decided to take a magnifying glass to a specific, smaller, and often misunderstood neighborhood on the "Left-Wing" side of the city.
They call this group "Tankies."
Here is a simple breakdown of what the paper found, using everyday analogies:
1. Who are the "Tankies"?
Think of the term "Tankie" like a nickname that started as an insult. Back in the 1950s and 60s, it was used for communists who supported the Soviet Union sending actual tanks into other countries to crush rebellions.
Over time, the meaning shifted. Today, these "Tankies" are a group of online left-wingers who don't just support the old Soviet Union, but they also strongly support modern countries that the researchers call "Actually Existing Socialist" (AES) nations. This includes places like China, North Korea, and Russia. They are the people who will defend these governments even when the rest of the world criticizes them.
2. How Big is This Neighborhood? (The Growth)
The researchers wanted to know: Is this just a tiny, quiet group, or is it growing?
- The Analogy: Imagine a small, quiet coffee shop in a big city. For years, it was just a few regulars. But suddenly, starting around 2020, the line out the door started getting longer and longer.
- The Finding: The "Tankie" neighborhood on Reddit grew explosively. By 2021, it had more active people than any other left-wing neighborhood on the site, including the main "Communism" and "Socialism" clubs.
- The Twist: When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, almost every other left-wing group on Reddit got quieter (their numbers dropped). But the Tankie neighborhood kept growing. It seems like people who were already leaning toward pro-Russian or pro-authoritarian views flocked there, while others left.
3. Where Do They Fit in the City? (The Location)
The researchers built a map of the entire city to see where everyone hangs out.
- The Analogy: Imagine the "Far-Left" as a large park. Most people in the park are hanging out in the central meadows, talking about things like healthcare, housing, and workers' rights.
- The Finding: The Tankies are not in the central meadow. They are living on the very edge of the park, almost on the outskirts. They are so far out that they barely talk to the people in the center. They have formed their own tight-knit circle, separate from the main left-wing groups. This suggests they are a distinct, more extreme faction, not just a regular part of the left.
4. What Do They Talk About? (The Conversation)
The researchers listened to what people were saying in these neighborhoods to see how their conversations differed.
- The Analogy: Imagine two groups of friends.
- Group A (Other Left-Wingers): They talk mostly about local problems: "How do we fix the rent?" "Why is healthcare so expensive?" "Let's organize a union."
- Group B (Tankies): They talk mostly about geopolitics and foreign governments. They are obsessed with what the Chinese government is doing, the history of the Soviet Union, and defending the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- The Finding: Tankies care much less about the daily struggles of regular people (like rent or climate change) and much more about defending authoritarian regimes and state-level political events.
5. How Do They Speak? (The Language and Tone)
Finally, the researchers looked at the "vibe" and the specific words used.
- The Analogy: Imagine a group of friends who use a secret slang that sounds aggressive and dismissive to outsiders.
- The Findings:
- Toxic Tone: The Tankie neighborhood is much more toxic than other left-wing groups. They use more insults and harsh language.
- Secret Slang: They have their own dictionary. For example, they might call other left-wingers "Anarkiddies" (a mean nickname for anarchists) or "Succdems" (a mean nickname for social democrats).
- News Sources: While other left-wingers might share links from mainstream news or liberal outlets, Tankies share a lot of links from state-run media (like Russian or Chinese state TV) and websites that deny things like the genocide of Uyghurs in China.
The Bottom Line
This paper is the first big, data-driven study to say: "Hey, there is a specific, growing, and distinct group of left-wing extremists on Reddit."
They aren't just "regular left-wingers." They are a separate group that lives on the edge of the political spectrum, cares more about defending foreign dictators than helping local people, speaks in a harsher tone, and uses a unique set of slang to separate themselves from everyone else. The researchers hope that by measuring them, we can better understand how extremism works on both sides of the political spectrum.
Drowning in papers in your field?
Get daily digests of the most novel papers matching your research keywords — with technical summaries, in your language.