The recent revelation of more online comments from the Christchurch shooter has sparked renewed interest in the case and raised questions about the extent of his involvement in online communities. While previous reports and the royal commission into the gunman's activities identified a trail of online activity, the new book 'He Told Us' by Chris Wilson and Michal Dziwulski claims to have uncovered a trove of previously unknown comments on 4chan. This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of the shooter's relationship to the internet and the potential influence of online communities on his actions.
One of the most striking findings is the shooter's regular engagement with 4chan, where he celebrated acts of white supremacist violence and expressed racist views. This suggests that he was not just an onlooker, but an active participant in online communities that promote hatred and violence. The authors argue that his comments show him to be 'desperate, narcissistic and attracted to violence', which raises questions about the extent to which online communities can shape an individual's beliefs and actions.
The shooter's claim that he had largely been an onlooker on notorious message boards is called into question by the new evidence. The authors suggest that his online participation in far-right spaces should be regarded as a kind of membership, with the 'learning process, influence from leaders, and sense of belonging' that comes with it. This raises the question of whether online communities can create a kind of 'script' that others follow, and whether the shooter's actions were influenced by the online community that now memeifies him.
The shooter's comments on 4chan also reveal a disturbing fascination with violence and a desire to show off his racist views. This raises questions about the potential for online communities to radicalize individuals and the need for greater scrutiny of online activity. The authors argue that the shooter's comments are 'unguarded and candid', which makes them potentially more revealing than the content he intentionally spread as he began his attack in 2019.
The discovery of the shooter's comments on 4chan has significant implications for our understanding of the case and the potential influence of online communities. It raises questions about the extent to which online activity can shape an individual's beliefs and actions, and the need for greater scrutiny of online communities. The authors argue that the shooter's comments should prompt a reassessment of his path to violence and the need for greater efforts to prevent similar attacks in the future.
