Date of Completion

5-3-2023

Degree Type

Honors Thesis

Discipline

Communication Studies (CMST)

First Advisor

Jason Jarvis

Abstract

Experts have said that in recent months, we have been living through the highest point in American antisemitism we've ever had. Much of this is because of certain very influential people like Donald Trump and Kanye West who have been spreading antisemitic tropes and conspiracies on the internet. In this paper, I will first discuss the history of antisemitism in America to give important and relevant context to my study. I will then explain the recent rise in antisemitism and address viewpoints from various experts and contributors on what, why, and how this is happening. I’ll go over each of the selected influencers’ connections with antisemitism and how the public has reacted to them. I’ll then go through my methods for this study, which include identification and coding of the set of posts and testing with generative artificial intelligence. I’ll conclude by presenting my results, discussing them, and noting the limitations of this paper and need for future research. The purpose of this study is to discover what specific antisemitic tropes these influencers have been using in their rhetoric and to determine the severity and explicitness of their posts.

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