{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132652"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132652","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"“We need to save civilization first”: examining the role of cyberlibertarian design in the disinformation culture of Reddit’s /r/The_Donald","abstract":"Cyberlibertarian design principles have become an increasingly common feature of mainstream social media platforms, with Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and other platforms employing once-experimental models of content moderation that assume a cyberlibertarian stance towards free speech. Seeking to understand the impact of this design politic upon our media landscape, this dissertation explores Reddit’s alt-right subreddit /r/The_Donald, utilizing a framework rooted in both science and technology studies and critical theories of the media. To that end, the dissertation examines the form and content of the subreddit, beginning from its inception in 2015, and culminating with the apex of its prominence in the public consciousness during 2017’s Unite the Right rally. By examining this critical site of development of the online far right within the context of the right-wing media ecosystems from which it emerged, I seek to understand the critical differences between human- and algorithmically-moderated (dis)information flows, their intersection and interaction with far-right subjects, and the impact of their design and affordances upon democratic publics in a time of informational crisis.","abstract_html":"Cyberlibertarian design principles have become an increasingly common feature of mainstream social media platforms, with Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and other platforms employing once-experimental models of content moderation that assume a cyberlibertarian stance towards free speech. Seeking to understand the impact of this design politic upon our media landscape, this dissertation explores Reddit’s alt-right subreddit /r/The_Donald, utilizing a framework rooted in both science and technology studies and critical theories of the media. To that end, the dissertation examines the form and content of the subreddit, beginning from its inception in 2015, and culminating with the apex of its prominence in the public consciousness during 2017’s Unite the Right rally. By examining this critical site of development of the online far right within the context of the right-wing media ecosystems from which it emerged, I seek to understand the critical differences between human- and algorithmically-moderated (dis)information flows, their intersection and interaction with far-right subjects, and the impact of their design and affordances upon democratic publics in a time of informational crisis.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Malo, Gabriel"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Communications and Media","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Chan, Anita s","Cole, CL","Craft, Stephanie","Hay, James"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12","date_published":"2025-12","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:07Z","subjects":["Reddit","cyberlibertarian design","online communities","alt-right","far right"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Gabriel Malo"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132652","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Chan, Anita s","Cole, CL","Craft, Stephanie","Hay, James"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Malo, Gabriel"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-12","2025-11-24"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communications and Media"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Reddit","cyberlibertarian design","online communities","alt-right","far right"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Gabriel Malo"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132652"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Cyberlibertarian design principles have become an increasingly common feature of mainstream social media platforms, with Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and other platforms employing once-experimental models of content moderation that assume a cyberlibertarian stance towards free speech. Seeking to understand the impact of this design politic upon our media landscape, this dissertation explores Reddit’s alt-right subreddit /r/The_Donald, utilizing a framework rooted in both science and technology studies and critical theories of the media. To that end, the dissertation examines the form and content of the subreddit, beginning from its inception in 2015, and culminating with the apex of its prominence in the public consciousness during 2017’s Unite the Right rally. By examining this critical site of development of the online far right within the context of the right-wing media ecosystems from which it emerged, I seek to understand the critical differences between human- and algorithmically-moderated (dis)information flows, their intersection and interaction with far-right subjects, and the impact of their design and affordances upon democratic publics in a time of informational crisis.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-12-01","The student, Gabriel Malo, accepted the attached license on 2025-11-21 at 15:53.","The student, Gabriel Malo, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-11-21 at 16:01.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-11-24 at 11:33.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22925 on 2026-02-19 at 18:45:55"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["“We need to save civilization first”: examining the role of cyberlibertarian design in the disinformation culture of Reddit’s /r/The_Donald"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Chan, Anita s","Cole, CL","Craft, Stephanie","Hay, James"],"dc:creator":["Malo, Gabriel"],"dc:date":["2025-12","2025-11-24"],"dc:description":["Cyberlibertarian design principles have become an increasingly common feature of mainstream social media platforms, with Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and other platforms employing once-experimental models of content moderation that assume a cyberlibertarian stance towards free speech. Seeking to understand the impact of this design politic upon our media landscape, this dissertation explores Reddit’s alt-right subreddit /r/The_Donald, utilizing a framework rooted in both science and technology studies and critical theories of the media. To that end, the dissertation examines the form and content of the subreddit, beginning from its inception in 2015, and culminating with the apex of its prominence in the public consciousness during 2017’s Unite the Right rally. By examining this critical site of development of the online far right within the context of the right-wing media ecosystems from which it emerged, I seek to understand the critical differences between human- and algorithmically-moderated (dis)information flows, their intersection and interaction with far-right subjects, and the impact of their design and affordances upon democratic publics in a time of informational crisis.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-12-01","The student, Gabriel Malo, accepted the attached license on 2025-11-21 at 15:53.","The student, Gabriel Malo, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-11-21 at 16:01.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-11-24 at 11:33.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22925 on 2026-02-19 at 18:45:55"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132652"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Gabriel Malo"],"dc:subject":["Reddit","cyberlibertarian design","online communities","alt-right","far right"],"dc:title":["“We need to save civilization first”: examining the role of cyberlibertarian design in the disinformation culture of Reddit’s /r/The_Donald"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Communications and Media"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:07Z"}