Dusting this off from less than two weeks ago. https://twitter.com/VicBergerIV/status/1306805724975046659

The Proud Boys is a relatively small group, clumped together in a handful of geographic locations. Trump's "stand by" call last night could be an effective recruiting tool, attracting other extremists to switch affiliations.

Their Telegram channel should make a good benchmark.

The Parler account:

Please keep in mind that when someone "likes" or "follows" an account, it doesn't make him a member of that group. It just signifies curiosity and a likely affinity.

There's a trend in RW extremist social media groups that has escalated in recent months. Restless extremists, desperately seeking IRL action, float en masse from group to group to group, trying to find one that can offer more than just "keyboard warrior" rhetoric.

I think of them as online flash mobs. I have a FB account that floats with them. It's creepy to watch someone set up a militia-type private group that gains 5,000 members in a fortnight but then goes dormant when the IRL action doesn't pan out.

I saw "militia-type" because a FB group or page isn't a militia. There's no leadership structure, no training, no vetting, no mission.

PB trivia: They got their name from this song. (The founder hated it.)