This Insight examines groups under The Com umbrella (a catch-all name for 764 and related groups such as CVLT and No Lives Matter) through the lens of Significance Quest Theory. It explores how the pursuit of personal significance within a subculture that is ironically characterised by a lack of greater meaning or ideology – dubbed Nihilistic Violent Extremism – manifests in extreme violent behaviour. The Insight then evaluates potential interventions while considering the responsibilities of technology platforms in addressing this ongoing threat.
Terrorists Without a Cause
To many young people, the future can, at times, look bleak. According to what is described as the biggest study of its kind, 45% of young people aged 16-25 experience anxiety and distress related to climate change, to the point that it affects their daily lives. At the same time, trust in politics in purported democracies is in long-term decline globally. COVID-19 has been another source of existential dread and has changed how people view life. Between January 2019 and April 2022, the subreddit r/nihilism grew from 31,000 members to 115,000 (as of writing, it is at 181,000).
It is in this context that the US Justice Department and FBI have classified a new form of violent extremism – “Nihilistic Violent Extremists” (NVEs). NVEs are described as being motivated by a hatred of society and a desire to see it destroyed. While these motivational factors can also be attributed to other violent extremists, for instance accelerationists, what sets NVEs apart is their lack of ideological substance beyond a broad anger and hatred directed outwards at the world. NVEs “can act as individuals or as part of a broader network and frequently use social media to target vulnerable populations.”
Figures 1 and 2: Images instructing members how to manipulate and abuse young girls, obtained from a Department of Justice affidavit.
The phenomenon is mostly known as describing a loose network of mostly young online predators known as “The Com” – well-known groups under its banner include CVLT, 764, and No Lives Matter. Within this community, members gain notoriety through extortion, blackmail, abuse and extreme violence. Recently, two high-profile members were arrested and charged with operating an international child exploitation enterprise. The affidavit contains allegations relating to grooming, psychological torture and physical violence against minors, evidence of which was traded online and collected as symbols of status. To an outsider, such behaviour seemed to have little to no substantial meaning or purpose.
The Order of the Nine Angles
To the small extent that members of the Com can be said to subscribe to any ideology or philosophy, it can be found in the Order of the Nine Angles (O9A). O9A is a satanist/occult collective that came into public knowledge in the 1970s and has endured with a relatively small membership since, before becoming more well-known recently through its connection to 764. The collective subscribes to an ethos of cleansing, enlightenment and evolution through moral transgression – which manifests in various ways in its adherents, including Nazism and extremism, though these are not mandatory – any evil or “sinister” expressions of devotion will do.
Eventually, according to the dense and massive mythology of O9A, subversion of social norms and Judeo-Christian values will result in the breakdown of society. This is the project of current O9A members, projected to take at least another hundred years and bringing about the emergence of an entity called “Vindex”, who will lead a new and superior aeon. As part of their ongoing subversion of society, O9A has various dark and edgy aesthetic designs, including videos, images, and literature, and this is seemingly the extent of most Com members’ real engagement with the collective.
Clout and Significance
Marc-Andre Argentino, who has written extensively on NVEs, describes the real driving force behind these actors as being nihilism and misanthropy. The network operates on the basis of a kind of pure predation undertaken to destroy values and meaning until only they and their dominance remain. This elitism and desire to hurt and dominate explain much of their motivation, but there is also great value placed on status and online clout. In another article, Argentino, along with Barrett Gay and Matt Bastin, say of the Russian-Ukrainian NVE network MKY:
“Though they borrow their aesthetics from O9A, they do not appear to delve deeply into the esoteric practices associated with its philosophy. Rather, it is the perceived extreme nature of the O9A ideology that is attractive to this set of threat actors. At its core, a primary objective of M.K.Y. is for its adherents to be viewed as the most sadistic threat actors.”
The phenomenon of NVEs and the harm they seek to cause for notoriety and clout can be understood in terms of a quest for significance. Significance Quest Theory was developed by psychologist Arie Kruglanski, and contends that various different motivational constructs – such as the need to belong, or rejection sensitivity, or fear of death – all touch on the human desire to matter, that is to feel significant. Moreover, this need can become immense upon an event that causes a loss of the feeling of significance, be it bullying or abuse, or global crises that cause fear, anxiety, and awareness of one’s mortality. As noted, such crises have become a hallmark of modern life and coincide with the emergence of nihilist extremism.
The need and quest for significance have been shown to be a powerful explanatory factor for violent extremism and resultant acts of terrorism. Extremist ideologies become a means of feeling significant as an adherent, and of identifying the source of the collective’s loss of significance. This includes a scapegoat or outgroup; in the case of NVEs, one large enough to encompass the rest of humanity. However, for NVEs, the lack of a substantial belief system is a complicating factor. It is, however, quite reminiscent of an individualised process described by Kruglanski:
“In some cases, the terrorism-justifying ideology may be highly salient in the individual’s informational ecology, and the push to embrace it may originate in a personal significance loss…
…In other cases, the social contact may come first and only after having joined a given social network would one be exposed to the beliefs that its members share, including the ideology warranting their support for violence.
…In a yet different instance, the individual may encounter the terrorism-justifying ideology through various communication media…”
The highly online nature of NVEs, along with their use of digital platforms to recruit and share their activities, illustrates how the need for significance can drive radicalisation. Not necessarily through sophisticated ideology, but rather through social dynamics and group belonging.
Research seeking to further the insights of Significance Quest Theory has examined the role of sensation seeking. Anecdotal evidence has posited the role of adventure and excitement in radicalisation to violence; however, the researchers found a dearth of empirical evidence and sought to fill this gap. A series of studies produced evidence that sensation seeking is one psychological mechanism that can lead to extreme behaviours, including support for political violence. The researchers further argue that when individuals search for meaning/significance, they seek out novel and intense experiences. It is suggested that prompting individuals to reflect on the meaning already in their lives thus far, or by providing more benign, exciting experiences, may support in mitigating violence.
Potential for Intervention
Understanding radicalisation to violent extremism in terms of Significance Quest Theory, which I have argued is particularly salient in the case of NVEs, leads to some existing recommendations for prevention or deradicalisation. Such measures typically target one of the motivational factors listed in the “3N” model – need, narrative, and network. The three Ns are not independent of each other, and it is expected that interventions targeting one will likely affect the others.
For instance, if it is determined that assisting an individual to have better job prospects is an effective strategy, this intervention targeting a need may also change the prevailing narrative by challenging the notion that society is irredeemable. Additionally, it can affect the individual’s network by introducing social contacts through work who are not immersed in the world of violent extremism. Context must not be neglected, however, and vocational assistance is but one example – appropriate alternative sources of significance must be found in an understanding of the individual.
While the preoccupations of NVEs are, in a sense, non-ideological, they are not without certain narrative proposals. Challenging narratives is a common pursuit of countering violent extremism. However, in the cases of NVEs this may be difficult, especially when there may be compelling reasons (such as personal circumstances, the state of the world) for someone’s nihilism. Drawing on the interconnected nature of the 3 Ns, Mirra Noor Milla and Joevarian Hudiyana suggest that changes to a person’s network may undermine extremist narratives. Analysis of interviews with convicted terrorists in Indonesia found a relationship between the (extremist) quest for significance and a lack of cross-group friendship. It was also found that cross-group friendship partially mediated commitment to an extremist group. This is extremely relevant to a network of radicalised individuals who wish harm on everyone else – alienation from others seems like an essential precursor.
The Role of Tech Companies
Just as online radicalisation is typically a process with both offline and online elements, intervention strategies that provide alternative sources of meaning and association in both realms are considered to hold promise. The Violence Prevention Network has found that, due to the ability the online world affords people to limit and curate their exposure to people and ideas, offline engagement is usually a necessary part of the deradicalisation process. As such, they champion a strategy that begins with online contact with a practitioner but eventually moves offline. This may be beneficial in moving vulnerable or radicalised individuals away from NVE networks that exist mostly in hidden online forums.
Moonshot CVE have identified the value of empowering bystanders such as peers, professionals, or family members to seek help for an individual – though in some circumstances the individual themselves may come forward. In addition to providing guidance about what radicalisation can look like, it is important to provide multiple referral pathways and off-ramps to those seeking assistance with behaviours of concern. Social media companies may be able to play a role in offering these avenues, especially when said behaviours are often exhibited on their platforms.
Australia’s Office of the eSafety Commissioner has pushed tech companies to be more transparent about what they are and are not doing in response to extremist content and behaviours on their platforms. They are strong proponents of the view that these services have a grave responsibility to ensure that their products are not used to cause harm, such as those perpetrated by NVEs. While the Office has had some success and seen some cooperation from companies, it has also expressed disappointment that more is not done by companies of their own volition.
Nihilistic Violent Extremism represent a very modern form radicalization—one fueled not by dogma, but by a lack of hope. Significance Quest Theory helps explain how individuals deprived of meaning may turn to violence as a perverse way to assert their existence. Where some counter-extremism strategies might focus on dismantling ideologies, addressing NVEs requires offering alternative pathways to significance, disrupting toxic online networks, and fostering real-world connections that counteract alienation. Technology companies, policymakers, and communities all have roles to play in mitigating this threat.
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Gerard Gill, PhD, is an independent researcher on extremism, with a particular interest in conspiracism and the far right in Australia. He has experience working in Countering Violent Extremism and as a consultant on the implementation of online safety legislation for the Australian Government.
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