Recent progress in genomics has enabled the emergence of a flourishing market for direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing. Companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA provide affordable health, genealogy, and ancestry reports, and have already tested tens of millions of customers. Consequently, news, experiences, and views on genetic testing are increasingly shared and discussed on social media. At the same time, far-right groups have also taken an interest in genetic testing, using them to attack minorities and prove their genetic “purity.” In this article, we set to study the genetic testing discourse on a number of mainstream and fringe Web communities. We do so in two steps. First, we conduct an exploratory, large-scale analysis of the genetic testing discourse on a mainstream social network such as Twitter. We find that the genetic testing discourse is fueled by accounts that appear to be interested in digital health and technology. However, we also identify tweets with highly racist connotations. This motivates us to explore the connection between genetic testing and racism on platforms with a reputation for toxicity, namely, Reddit and 4chan, where we find that discussions around genetic testing often include highly toxic language expressed through hateful and racist comments. In particular, on 4chan’s politically incorrect board (/pol/), content from genetic testing conversations involves several alt-right personalities and openly anti-semitic rhetoric, often conveyed through memes.

中文翻译：

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通过 Twitter、Reddit 和 4chan 分析网络上的基因检测话语

基因组学的最新进展使直接面向消费者 (DTC) 基因检测的市场蓬勃发展。23andMe 和 AncestryDNA 等公司提供负担得起的健康、家谱和血统报告，并且已经测试了数千万客户。因此，关于基因检测的新闻、经验和观点越来越多地在社交媒体上分享和讨论。与此同时，极右翼团体也对基因检测产生了兴趣，利用基因检测来攻击少数群体，证明他们的基因“纯正”。在本文中，我们着手研究一些主流和边缘网络社区的基因检测话语。我们分两步进行。首先，我们对 Twitter 等主流社交网络上的基因检测话语进行了探索性的大规模分析。我们发现，似乎对数字健康和技术感兴趣的账户推动了基因检测的讨论。然而，我们也识别出具有高度种族主义内涵的推文。这促使我们在以毒性着称的平台上探索基因测试与种族主义之间的联系，即 Reddit 和 4chan，我们发现围绕基因测试的讨论通常包括通过仇恨和种族主义评论表达的剧毒语言。特别是，在 4chan 的政治不正确版块 (/pol/) 上，来自基因测试对话的内容涉及几个极右翼人士和公开的反犹太言论，通常通过模因传达。这促使我们在以毒性着称的平台上探索基因测试与种族主义之间的联系，即 Reddit 和 4chan，我们发现围绕基因测试的讨论通常包括通过仇恨和种族主义评论表达的剧毒语言。特别是，在 4chan 的政治不正确版块 (/pol/) 上，基因测试对话的内容涉及到几个极右翼人士和公开的反犹太言论，通常通过模因传达。这促使我们在以毒性着称的平台上探索基因测试与种族主义之间的联系，即 Reddit 和 4chan，我们发现围绕基因测试的讨论通常包括通过仇恨和种族主义评论表达的剧毒语言。特别是，在 4chan 的政治不正确版块 (/pol/) 上，来自基因测试对话的内容涉及几个极右翼人士和公开的反犹太言论，通常通过模因传达。