As religion has receded somewhat in the West, people have turned to politics as a source of meaning and identity. If people don't respect your identity, whether it's religious or political, it's hard to form community with them. And one of the places in which they found these new communities was on the internet.
Journalist and author Anne Applebaum talks about her book, Twilight of Democracy, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Applebaum discusses the rise of populist and nationalist movements in Eastern Europe as well as in the West, and the appeal of these movements even when they begin to erode or destroy democracy.