Americano Do mass shootings begin online?
9 snips
Aug 29, 2025 
Katherine Dee, a keen internet ethnographer and writer, dives into the unsettling dynamics surrounding online radicalization related to school shootings. She discusses the bizarre online presence of shooters, marked by a disarray of memes, nihilism, and political elements. Dee examines the fragmentation of identity among these individuals and raises concerns about anonymity and the fear of being overlooked. The conversation also touches on the darker influences of internet culture on youth and the chaotic aftermath of tragic events in the digital space.
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Media Ecosystem Desensitizes Vulnerable Youth
- Some children are uniquely harmed by the media ecosystem, becoming desensitized to gore and violence online.
- Katherine Dee links this desensitization plus other environmental factors to why some youths commit violent crimes.
Radicalization Without Coherent Ideology
- Some shooters show a chaotic mix of references rather than coherent ideology, reflecting a fractured identity.
- Dee calls this 'radicalized, but in no particular direction' and a sign of nihilistic fragmentation.
Online Life Can Impair Moral Development
- Moral development can be stunted by excessive online exposure, breaking internal alarms about right and wrong.
- Dee suggests sedentary, hyper-online lives can create a 'tinderbox' for violent acts when other factors exist.