Weaponised autism in online alt-right communities

Gab is a social media platform which launched in 2016 and proclaims itself to be a social network that champions free speech, individual liberty and the free flow of information online. Its virtual lack of content moderation makes Gab a safe haven for social media users who have been banned from mainstream platforms. The result is a platform that normal people would probably describe as “an alt-right cesspool with anti-left, anti-Semitic, misogynistic, racist, and xenophobic hate speech”.

Within this context of online hate speech, one peculiar term keeps popping up: “weaponised autism”. The phenomenon has been described by a some media outlets and blogs, but other than that not much is known about the phenomenon (side note: This possibly means “we actually know a lot about this, but no one else has published about it yet.”). The authors of this week’s paper therefore conducted a discourse analysis of 711 posts related to weaponised autism to better understand how the term is used on Gab and what it means for people with autism.

Within the analysed dataset, “weaponised autists” are frequently discussed, but rarely part of the conversation (side note: So just like in real life). Discussion of weaponised autism is not necessarily about people diagnosed with autism, but about users on similar unmoderated, anonymous social platforms or unidentified people behind certain stunts or feats that the posters have learnt about through the media.

Weaponised autism is seen as a readily exploitable resource that is particularly valuable because it operates in what Gab users see as their primary battlefield (the internet) and the type of conflict they prize (meme warfare). Autistic people are thought to excel in the development and circulation of memes.

While weaponised autism is often used for political advancement, it’s also used as a tool for entertainment (such as shitposting and other forms of online pranking). This simultaneously demonstrates the alt-right group’s power and distracts from their nefarious work and intentions.

Weaponised autists are prized as “soldiers” that help the alt-right win its “meme battles”. At the same time, weaponised autists are also devalued; they are seen as strange, incapable of “normal” tasks such as hygiene, relationships, and employment, and are presumed to spend time engaged in “useless” activities such as online gaming.

This ambivalence towards autistic people can be better understood when the autism archetype is mapped onto alt-right values. Some characteristics such as whiteness, stereotypical maleness, heteronormativity, and “rational” intellect, align well with alt-right ideology, while others – such as power, strength, social dominance, sexual access to women, and being head of a household – do not.

The Gab archetype of an autist is rooted in portrayals of autism in the media that show autists as either subhuman or superhuman, with nothing in between. It also aligns closely with the cultural depiction of “nerds” in popular culture: men who do not conform to conventional standards of masculinity, are heavy computer users and technically adept, yet socially inept. Journalistic portrayals have also tended to offer negative or tragic views of autism, portraying autistic people as asocial or even antisocial.

The term “weaponised autism” might also be understood as an extension of the broader use of militarised language on Gab, which reflects the alt-right’s authoritarian values, an “us against the world” mentality, and the framing of political engagement as a form of warfare. Militaristic language also evokes power, authority and legitimacy, and suggests precision and organisation; all qualities that are valued by the alt-right.

The simultaneous valuing and devaluing of weaponised autists is reflected in posts by Gab users who identify as weaponised autists. Some posts show a sense of pride, accomplishment, and a positive sense of identity. Other posts reflect an internalisation of negative stereotypes, often expressed through self-deprecating language.

Unfortunately, Gab’s acceptance of autistic people may be greater than that of society at large. For some, partial or intermittent acceptance within the alt-right community – often accompanied by an insider status – may be preferable to the general non-acceptance experienced in wider society.

Additionally, many autistic people encounter challenges in developing close relationships and commonly experience maltreatment within them. This can make the partly insulting and derogatory language associated with the term on Gab seem “normal”.