The "Intellectual Dark Web" (IDW) is a loose network of academics, commentators, and media personalities (including but not limited to, Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris, Ben Shapiro and Dave Rubin) who oppose what they perceive as the dominance of left-wing identity politics, political correctness, and "woke" ideology in mainstream media and higher education. Its members, who often claim to be marginalized or "deplatformed" by traditional institutions, have built large followings through alternative online channels like podcasts and YouTube, where they advocate for free speech, open debate, and Enlightenment values of reason and individualism.