The Most Divisive Elections Ever? How the U.S. Elections Played Out Online
Online conversations around the 2024 U.S. elections revealed surprising trends.
While the European Observatory of Online Hate’s primary focus is on the European online landscape, conversations in and about the U.S. elections were captured by our tool, offering valuable insights into online toxicity, the use of mis- and disinformation, and concerns about a deeply polarised nation.
Data for this report was based on 666,390 posts in English, across 6 social media platforms: Reddit, X, 4chan, Gab, YouTube, and Facebook.
Content warning: Presented data may contain disturbing language related to online hate speech.
Less toxic than expected
Contrary to our expectations, the U.S. elections did not emerge as a highly toxic online event and average toxicity levels remained stable. Although the average toxicity per post stayed consistent, the overall volume of posts discussing the elections saw a significant increase, leading to a much higher total number of toxic posts than in previous periods. Social media posts about the U.S. elections were up by 1.020,29% during the election compared to the month before. This underscores the scale of online engagement during elections and the challenges in moderating toxic online content during these periods.
Average toxicity in posts related to the US elections between 6 September and 12 November 2024.
Amount of posts analysed per day related to the US elections between 6 September and 12 November 2024.
Trump dominates online conversations
Donald Trump reigns supreme in online discussions. While Biden received some attention, Vice President Kamala Harris was conspicuously absent from most conversations related to the elections. Trump’s dominance could reflect his continued polarising influence on U.S. politics, generating both support and criticism online. Whether people love or hate him, everybody talks about him. Posts about Trump also appeared to amplify mis- and disinformation, with references to “communism”, “satanic cults”, and other ideologically loaded terms. This suggests that misinformation continues to shape election-related discourse, leveraging emotionally charged language to sway public opinion.
Wordcloud of the most prominent words related to the US elections between 6 September and 12 November 2024.
A surge in anti-semitic rhetoric
Prominent mentions of words such as “Jews” and “Jewish” in our dataset reveal an undercurrent of antisemitic discourse during the election period. These terms often appeared in narratives perpetuating conspiracy theories or scapegoating Jewish individuals or communities for perceived political or societal issues. Discussions around Judaism were frequently tied to broader geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing Middle East conflict. While some of these mentions were neutral or factual, others leaned heavily on harmful stereotypes, conspiracy theories or inflammatory rhetoric, exacerbating online hostility. The data underscores a troubling intersection between political discourse and hate speech, where elections become a catalyst for amplifying long standing prejudices.
Examples of Twitter posts referencing “Jews” and “Jewish” related to the US elections.
Politics, threats and ridicule: a troubling intersection
Intersections in our analysis refer to instances where posts simultaneously fall into multiple categories, such as “Politics,” “Threats,” and “Ridicule,” revealing the complex ways in which different forms of discourse overlap and interact. In this dataset, the intersection between “Politics” and “Threats” categories was the most prominent (61,657 posts). This overlap signals that discussions around the U.S. elections frequently included signs of hostility or threats toward opponents. These ranged from claims of election fraud to threats directed at voters of opposing parties, as well as alarming rhetoric targeting poll workers and the integrity of polling stations.
The intersection of “Politics” and “Ridicule” (55,657 posts) is also particularly strong, revealing how mockery and dismissive language were often used as tools to discredit opposing views and further polarise the debate. Such rhetoric not only reflects heightened tensions but also underscores the persistence of threats and ridicule as pervasive features of political discourse online. While these posts do not always cross into outright illegal hate speech, their prevalence is indicative of a deeply polarised environment.
Visualisation of the intersections between different categories, with the size of each connection representing the number of co-occurrences. Larger connections indicate more frequent overlaps.
Key takeaways
The U.S. elections may have shown stable average toxicity levels, but the significant increase in the volume of toxic content highlights the ongoing challenges of fostering constructive and safe online discourse. Key observations include:
Trump dominated online discussions about the U.S. elections
Dis- and Misinformation, particularly ideologically charged narratives, continue to persist and spread.
The intersection of politics, threats, and ridicule highlights deep polarisation and underlying tensions within public discourse.
Anti-semitic rhetoric continues to surface, underscoring the vulnerability of minority groups during political events.