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Left-Wing Extremism on the Decentralized Web: Fediverse's Lemmygrad.ml endorses authoritarian regimes, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, exhibits anti-Zionist and antisemitic rhetoric, study reveals (arxiv.org)
submitted 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org to c/fediverse@piefed.social
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/40188039

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Left-wing extremists have been showing "substantial activity on Lemmygrad.ml" with an accompanying increase in toxicity, a new joint study published by Binghamton University and Cyprus University of Technology on Arxiv says.

The researchers also identified posts that support authoritarian regimes, endorse the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and feature anti-Zionist and antisemitic content.

"Overall, our findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of political extremism within decentralized social networks and emphasize the necessity of analyzing both ends of the political spectrum in research," the researchers conclude.

[...]

Users on Lemmygrad.ml frequently discuss [...] China and North Korea, with many posts expressing support for them.

[...]

Discussions [on Lemmygrad.ml] on the Israel-Palestine conflict primarily criticize Israel. While many posts condemn antisemitism, [the authors] also encounter numerous posts that extend beyond criticizing Israel, displaying anti-Zionism and even antisemitism.

[...]

[The study] results show that users of Lemmygrad.ml frequently share posts that support authoritarian regimes, as seen in their support for China, North Korea, and Russia. Moreover, their support can extend beyond backing these authoritarian regimes, even cheering on their violent actions, as evidenced by their posts on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, we observe anti-Zionist and antisemitic behaviors, which show similarities to right-wing extremism.

[...]

Our analysis suggests a concerning endorsement of authoritarian actions and extremist rhetoric on Lemmygrad.ml, further indicating that left-wing extremist communities on decentralized platforms should receive more attention from the academic community.

[...]

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[-] bathing_in_bismuth@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

Real MVPs. Only downside I can think of is excuse to ban decentralization all together. Look, we know how the instances operate. Analysis like these only hurt the fediverse. I don't mind being exposed to different (or very different) views etc. I am even an veteran at spotting propaganda, I can read between the lines. Its better to know what people are thinking then it all being excluded from each other.

Look, on a scale of Reddit, biases left and right have been proven harmful to most beneficial to some. But on this scale it seems to work.

I remember the pre industrialized internet. I believe in a the concept of a forum.

Now looking back not so MVP. I scroll past content I don't personally like, endorse or sometimes even dislike or are so far from my own bubble. But that's what the internet is king at.

Look, I know those days of glory won't come back. But as far as current year goes, fediverse is a welcome escape.

I know how communities scale, the current state of Lemmy with all its ups and downs suit me personally so well. There are some increments in content/quality that in theory could be gained but anno now it has so many drawbacks, learning from the best.

Since bulletin boards and enshittification, the fediverse has been the lone star, a bright point, in the past years of internet experience for me.

[-] Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 days ago

Analysis like these only hurt the fediverse

Instances like lemmygrad.ml hurt the Fediverse. "Their support can extend beyond backing these authoritarian regimes, even cheering on their violent actions, as evidenced by their posts on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, we observe anti-Zionist and antisemitic behaviors, which show similarities to right-wing extremism."

Aside from some grad and bear communities which are known "cheering on violence", there are many other comms here in Lemmy whose admins and mods support this anti-democratic stance, although with a softer approach. It is them that hurt the Fediverse as this is also a major reason imo why the Lemmy still remains a small niche product.

[-] bathing_in_bismuth@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

The whole idea is to then defederate as an instance as admin, or as user block the instance or pick a different instance all together.

this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2025
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