Participatory memetic violence
Participatory memetic violence (PMVE or PMV) is a term coined by scholars to refer to a form of violence "enacted as a symbolic statement of affiliation with or participation in groups that valorize violent or transgressive action, either as an end in itself or for its perceived social and cultural significance, in lieu of any clear strategic, political, or ideological goal."[1][2] Participatory memetic violence turns violence into internet content and celebrates it. This creates a phenomenon where people copy past attackers to gain infamy and motivate more attackers, leading to more violence.[3]
In the 2020s, the term was coined by Joe Ondrak and Laura Vitellito.[4] Various online communities actively promote participatory memetic violence by motivating people to commit violent acts so the perpetrator can achieve infamy.[3] Various crimes, such as shootings and bombings have been linked to participatory memetic violence.
History
2010s
One of the first instances of participatory memetic violence was the "Slender Man Stabbing" in 2014. In Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States, twelve-year-old Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser led their friend, Payton Leutner, to a nearby forest and stabbed her. The girls stated they carried out the attack to participate in a creepypasta they read about online called “The Slender Man.” The girls believed that their attack would summon the Slender Man via human sacrifice.[5]
2020s
In the 2020s, terms such as participatory memetic violence, alongside composite violent extremism (CoVE), nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) and fast-food terrorism were created to describe aspects of present-day extremism, particularly within online communities.[4] Participatory memetic violence was first officially described by Joe Ondrak and Laura Vitellito.[6] Unlike political or religious terrorism, participatory memetic violence turns violence into internet content; videos, manifestos, and online activity left behind by perpetrators are shared, edited, and celebrated by online groups. This creates a chain reaction where people copy past attackers to gain infamy and motivate more attackers, leading to more violence over time.[3]
Online communities, such as 764, The Com, the True Crime Community (TCC), WatchPeopleDie, actively promote participatory memetic violence by motivating people to commit violent acts so the perpetrator can achieve infamy.[3] Crimes in the 2020s, such as the 2023 Siam Paragon shooting,[6] the 2024 Abundant Life Christian School shooting, the 2025 Antioch High School shooting, the 2025 Jakarta school bombing, and the 2026 Sungai Raya school bombing[7] have been linked to participatory memetic violence.[5]
See also
References
This article "Participatory memetic violence" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Participatory memetic violence. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ Hummel, Kristina (2026-02-19). "True Crime Community: Understanding the Depths of Digital Fandom and Performative Violence". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
The referential component of violent acts linked to the TCC, and NVE milieus more broadly, has led some scholars to coin the concept of participatory memetic violent extremism, “a form of violence that is a symbolic statement of affiliation with or participation in groups that valorize violent or transgressive action, either as an end in itself or for its perceived social and cultural significance, in lieu of any clear strategic, political, or ideological goal.”
- ↑ Hummel, Kristina (2026-06-30). "Remotely Coerced Violence: 764, The Com Network, and the Hybridization of Threats". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
Joe Ondrak and Laura Vitelli developed the framework of participatory mimetic violent extremism to explain the performative and participatory nature of NVE. As they define it, “Participatory Memetic Violent Extremism (PMVE) is violence enacted as a symbolic statement of affiliation with or participation in groups that valorize violent or transgressive action, either as an end in itself or for its perceived social and cultural significance, in lieu of any clear strategic, political, or ideological goal.”
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Memetic Violence | ADL". www.adl.org. Retrieved 2026-10-22. Cite error: Invalid parameter "details" in
<ref>tag. The supported parameters are: dir, follow, group, name. - ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Naming Violent Extremism: When Does a New Concept Advance Understanding? | RSIS". rsis.edu.sg. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
Recent years, however, have seen a noticeable increase in new terminology. Alongside CoVE, concepts such as Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE), participatory memetic violence and fast-food terrorism have emerged. Each seeks to capture different aspects of contemporary radicalisation, particularly in digital environments.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ondrak, Joe (2025-12-18). "Participatory Memetic Violence: Legend, Ostension, and Ideologically Diffuse Violence". GNET. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mustaffa, Munira (2026-06-29). "Emerging Extremism Frameworks: Reexamining the 2023 Siam Paragon Attack in Context". GNET. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
This Insight examines the Siam Paragon attack, tracing the conditions that produced the tragedy and situating it within the Participatory Memetic Violence (PMV) and Misanthropic and Nihilistic Violent Extremism (MNVE) frameworks.
Cite error: Invalid parameter "details" in<ref>tag. The supported parameters are: dir, follow, group, name. - ↑ Nugraha, Rifqy Pratama (2026-09-16). "From Victims to Actors: A Dual Criminological and Victimological Perspective on Youth Radicalization in Digital Subcultures". Natural Resources for Human Health. 6 (9s): 1269–1282. doi:10.53365/nrfhh.1832. ISSN 2583-1194.
