White “Victim” Ideology and Online Aggression: A Look at Gender, Extremism, and the Dark Triad

This study builds on previous works that ties perceptions of white “victimhood” to affiliations with extremist movements to assess the links between such feelings and online aggression. We further investigate the conditioning effects of dark triad traits, or the overlapping personality characteristics of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy, on the associations between “victim” ideology and online aggression, generally and between white women and men. Utilizing secondary survey data, we find white “victim” ideology is significantly associated with online aggression and is conditioned by dark triad traits, though vary in gendered and nuanced ways. This study adds depth to our understanding of the complexities of white “victim” ideology. Policy and social implications are discussed.