The gaming ecosystem is increasingly observed with the concern that it could pose a threat to public safety, and research accumulates evidence for blatant extremism in the surrounding online space of games. Currently, a connection between gaming and extremism can be established through identity related processes, e.g., gaming-related radicalization elements, distal to gaming itself, such ...

This study examines how racially and ethnically motivated extremists use online platforms for recruitment and mobilization through a thematic analysis of messaging about the nature and meaning of offline engagement in extremism found on Telegram. The analysis draws on text and image data from posts shared by administrators of Telegram channels associated with the white ...

Far-right extremism is rapidly becoming a primary security threat in both the UK and Australia. By adopting a comparative case-study approach, this article examines how misogyny and gendered narratives espoused through online channels can serve as motivators towards violent extremism through transnational networks. We argue that gendered narratives specifically play a key role in influencing ...

This study explores the synergies between two complementary interventions for countering online extremism: deplatforming, a “hard” intervention that involves removing extremist users from online platforms, and inoculation, a “soft” intervention that exposes users to weakened forms of extremist arguments to build resistance. We developed an agent-based model to simulate the diffusion and control of online ...

In 2022, an anti-vaccine mandate protest in Canada received millions of dollars in support through online crowdfunding. This event catalyzed political crowdfunding in Canada by demonstrating its ability to disseminate ideological discourse and mobilize collective action. Given its newfound visibility and impact, this study examines the landscape of political crowdfunding in Canada. We examined 60 ...

Terrorist organizations have consistently demonstrated their ability to evolve alongside society’s ever-advancing technological landscape. Rather than relying on dependable tactics tested over several decades, terrorist organizations’ willingness to innovate has led to expanded capabilities to inflict harm upon society. The most significant technological advancement of the twenty first century is artificial intelligence (AI). Although AI ...

In the aftermath of 9/11 security agencies augmented their counterterrorism (CT) apparatuses with advanced analytics, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve their ability to identify and neutralize terrorists. Under this regime, humans remained the central actors, tasked with understanding information and crafting a response. The advent of Generative AI (GenAI) changes this ...

This thesis examines how extremist far-right recruiters communicate online to support Australia’s countering violent extremism (CVE) early detection efforts. It argues that current strategies—while sometimes effective—overlook online spaces as primary recruitment sites, focus too heavily on detecting already-radicalised individuals, and rely on oversimplified root-cause models. Further, it contends that detection is hindered by representational biases ...

This essay contributes to a materialist theory of media populism by criticizing America First, an influential U.S. American reactionary live-stream hosted by Nicholas J. Fuentes, and its Groyper fans. Fuentes has expanded his online presence despite the deplatforming, or administrative suspension, of his social media accounts on account of his antisemitic, antiblack, and sexist hate ...

People use social media platforms to chat, search, and share information, express their opinions, and connect with others. But these platforms also facilitate the posting of divisive, harmful, and hateful messages, targeting groups and individuals, based on their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or political views.Hate content is not only a problem on the Internet, ...