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VOX-Pol Blog post.

A comparative approach to social media hate speech. This study compares a Finnish anti-refugee and anti-immigration Facebook group criticised for hate speech and links to the extreme right, with a Finnish anti-racist Facebook group that opposed it, alongside a Facebook group aimed at dialogue between the two.

A critical-comparative analysis of social media hate speech can help us to assess the dangers of this speech, and can provide the necessary conceptual distance needed to come up with new ideas and strategies that can help to prevent violence.

VOX-Pol Blog Post.

The aim of the article is to present the phenomenon of radicalization of young Muslims from both Muslim countries and Western Europe, which takes place using new media. The paper uses the method of critical analysis of sources because it allows the interpretation of facts and relating them to the motives of conduct and the increase in popularity of radical religious movements. Referring to the theory of mediation and mediatization of religion, the article analyzes the impact of new media on Islam and presents some of their effects, which contribute to the creation of a radical version of this religion. The radicalization of religious views among young Muslims takes place on three levels: religious-cultural, social and political. All of these fields are dominated by social media. Ease of access to them gives a sense of belonging to the global Islamic community, which results in the belief in the unique strength and unlimited possibilities of the entire community. In their analysis, the authors showed the relationship between the characteristics of new media users and their low resistance to the propaganda of radical Islamist movements and terrorist groups used against them, as well as the opportunities that new media provide to terrorist groups in using Islam to build and strengthen their structures.

Extremist and terrorist groups are known to have used games and gaming successfully in their online recruitment and indoctrination campaigns. What are the possibilities for using online games to generate resilience against extremism? Current research on online counter and alternative narratives generally acknowledges effects in terms of awareness raising, yet is skeptical when it comes to impact, mostly owing to the limited evidence and empirical research in this area. A related problem with the early counter and alternative narrative campaigns, however, has been not only a lack of initial preparatory work on understanding the radicalization process itself — specifically, on how narratives are produced and disseminated — but also on aspects relating to the audience, the messenger, and the communications strategy more broadly. In designing DECOUNT, an online game that incorporates both counter and alternative narratives, we have taken these aspects into consideration and created an accessible, easy-to-use product by first researching the following: individual radicalization processes; extremist online propaganda narratives and imagery; and the preferences and issues of the target population. We then created and tested the game and placed it on particular social media platforms (Instagram, YouTube/Let’s Play), with appropriate targeting. Finally, we carried out a number of evaluation procedures, including a qualitative assessment and two quasi-experiments. This paper outlines this preparatory, creative, and evaluative work, and contextualizes it within the literature on the role played by online platforms and content both in individual radicalization processes and in creating resilience.

VOX-Pol Blog post.