New forms of cultural nationalism? American and British Indians in the Trump and Brexit Twittersphere
September 18, 2023
Diaspora networks are one of the key, but often invisible, drivers in reinforcing long-distance nationalism towards the ‘homeland’ but simultaneously construct nationalist myths within their countries of residence. This article examines Indian diaspora supporters of Brexit and Trump in the United Kingdom and the United States who promote exclusionary nationalist imaginaries. Combining quantitative and qualitative ...
The Enemy of My Enemy Is Not My Friend: Arabic Twitter Sentiment toward ISIS and the United States
September 18, 2023
A counter-intuitive finding emerges from an analysis of Arabic Twitter posts from 2014 to 2015: Twitter participants who are negative toward the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) are also more likely to hold negative views of the United States. This surprising correlation is due to the interpretations of two sets of users. ...
Remember your brothers
September 18, 2023
Since the declaration of the Caliphate in 2014, the Islamic State became a prominent protagonism of contemporary political debate, especially for its unprecedented media flow. Moving from an already vast literature on the topic, the chapter will analyze the video-testaments produced by IS as an internal propaganda format, able to build a sense of community ...
An influencer-based approach to understanding radical right viral tweets
September 18, 2023
Radical right influencers routinely use social media to spread highly divisive, disruptive and anti-democratic messages. Assessing and countering the challenge that such content poses is crucial for ensuring that online spaces remain open, safe and accessible. Previous work has paid little attention to understanding factors associated with radical right content that goes viral. We investigate ...
Strategies and tactics: communication strategies of jihadists and right-wing extremists
September 18, 2023
Both right-wing extremists and Islamist groups use social media to spread their political and ideological messages. To prevent extremist groups from abusing new media ecosystems and their mechanisms for their purposes, preventative measures must be based on sound knowledge of their methods. In this article Daniel Köhler and Julia Ebner explain which media strategies rightwing ...
Exploring the role of the Internet in radicalisation and offending of convicted extremists
September 18, 2023
This report presents findings from a quantitative study, which aimed to explore the role of the Internet in radicalisation and offending of 235 convicted extremists in England and Wales. ...
Facebook’s policies against extremism: Ten years of struggle for more transparency
September 18, 2023
For years, social media, including Facebook, have been criticized for lacking transparency in their community standards, especially in terms of extremist content. Yet, moderation is not an easy task, especially when extreme-right actors use content strategies that shift the Overton window (i.e., the range of ideas acceptable in public discourse) rightward. In a self-proclaimed search ...
Gaming and Extremism: The Extreme Right on Steam
September 18, 2023
This briefing is part of ISD’s Gaming and Extremism Series exploring the role online gaming plays in the strategy of far-right extremists in the UK and globally. This is part of a broader programme on the “Future of Extremism” being delivered by ISD in the second half of 2021, charting the transformational shifts in the ...
Gaming and Extremism: The Extreme Right on Discord
September 18, 2023
This briefing is part of ISD’s Gaming and Extremism Series exploring the role online gaming plays in the strategy of far-right extremists in the UK and globally. This is part of a broader programme on the ‘Future of Extremism’ being delivered by ISD in the second half of 2021, charting the transformational shifts in the ...
Hatescape: An In-Depth Analysis of Extremism and Hate Speech on TikTok
September 18, 2023
This report aims to provide an in-depth analysis on the state of extremism and hate on TikTok. It is the culmination of three months of research on a sample of 1,030 videos, equivalent to just over eight hours of content, posted on the social media platform. These videos were used to promote hatred, as well ...