Hidden order in online extremism and its disruption by nudging collective chemistry
physics.soc-ph
/ Authors
/ Abstract
We show that the eclectic "Boogaloo" extremist movement that is now rising to prominence in the U.S., has a hidden online mathematical order that is identical to ISIS during its early development, despite their stark ideological, geographical and cultural differences. The evolution of each across scales follows a single shockwave equation that accounts for individual heterogeneity in online interactions. This equation predicts how to disrupt the onset and 'flatten the curve' of such online extremism by nudging its collective chemistry.