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Keep in mind that I'm talking more metaphorically, but in some cases literally also.

What are some common things you see in cults and such? Marketing towards college students talking about how their group is going to reach a utopia if they donate their life savings, intimidating members from leaving, financial intimidation of ex-members by identity theft and financial theft, intimidating ex-members by constantly calling them or mailing them, intimidating people who criticize them by suing outlets of negative press, stealing personal information.

Doesn't this sound a bit similar to some fringe groups on the internet?

I think if someone's pretty much going around on a college campus telling people that they can reach utopia if they give the person their credit card information and such to them that's a cult.

The internet definitely helped create echo chambers and ideological bubbles that radicalized people's worldviews. And there is increasing amounts of factionalism, hatred, and vitriol coming with it.

I wouldn't say the internet created them, more that the Internet helped communication between members of the groups.

Yeah I second this. Channels of communication are ever more open, and increasingly so as the amount of social media sites, and their integration with many other sites, goes up.

Part of the reason Daesh is doing so remarkably, for example, is their ability to market and target lonely/disillusioned individuals. Somebody approaches you online and says "hey kid, I can introduce you to a group of people who really value and understand you" and before you know it, ginger Irish guys have devoted themselves to the cause.

And this is without mention to the current "culture wars" happening online w/ regard to diversity and what's culturally acceptable these days (let's not get too into that lest we derail the thread badly and everyone intakes a large amount of carcinogenic material).

Then you have Facebook, which is entry-level net socialising for a lot of people these days. Facebook probably doesn't count as a cult though.

The Internet is social life and communication, and I think cultism depends on that.

This actually ties into what I believe is one of the great things about KYM: No matter which side of whatever debate might try and claim, it definitely isn't a hugbox. The site is not an "alt-right hangout" exclusively, nor is it a vehicle for extreme social justice causes. Both exist as well as a lot of middle ground. You are guaran-damn-teed to be disagreed with on almost any aspect of your belief system and values here, and I think that's worth a hell of a lot.