Learning to Be a Fascist Satanist Online

This paper analyses the role of ideological learning in digital spaces and is based on data collected from an online forum advocating a form of extreme fascism. Although the primary focus of forum activities is fascist ideology, some members also claim to practice a form of left-hand path Satanism. These members are largely tolerated by non-Satanists and conflict between the belief systems is seemingly limited. The result is a digital space steeped in a complex interplay of two arcane and extreme belief sets. The aims of the paper are twofold. Firstly, to simply document an online space demonstrating the convergence of two extreme belief systems. The second aim is to analyse how extremist ideological learning takes place in a digital space. The forum and its members are heavily engaged in developing their ideological understanding. This is shown both in the posts of members as well as the provision of suggested reading and ideological advice from higher status members. This dataset provides a unique insight into how those committed to extremist ideologies access and use digital resources to deepen their ideological understanding, as well as the different factors that can influence this process.