“I’m Not Super Familiar with Children’s Ecosystems Online”: Expert Assessments on the Effects of Early Childhood Exposure to Extremism Online

This article brings together expert assessments concerning the relationship between children and online extremism, to help inform scholars and policymakers seeking to address the effects of early childhood exposure to extremism content. Our approach comprised of eight semi-structured interviews involving experts, practitioners, and policymakers offering their professional assessments on the relationship between children and online

Adolescence is a technical masterpiece that exposes the darkest corners of incel culture and male rage

Kate Cantrell, University of Southern Queensland and Susan Hopkins, University of the Sunshine Coast Filmed in a one-take style, Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham’s new crime drama Adolescence is being hailed by critics as a technical masterpiece. Out now on Netflix, the four-part series follows the fallout surrounding 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) after he

Unpacking the Role of Leadership in Decentralized Extremist Networks

By Joseph Stabile The US State Department’s 13 January designation of The Terrorgram Collective and three of its leaders serves as the bookend of the now-departed Biden Administration’s efforts to confront white supremacist extremism—a process that began with a presidentially-directed interagency review in January 2021. On its own, the designation carries significant implications for potential

The dynamics that polarise us on social media are about to get worse

By Colin M. Fisher, UCL Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced big changes in how the company addresses misinformation across Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Instead of relying on independent third-party factcheckers, Meta will now emulate Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) in using “community notes”. These crowdsourced contributions allow users to flag content they

A Big Tech race to the bottom is bad news for everyone

By David Wells Tariffs might not be the only trade obstacle with Trump’s America. “Censorship” could be the next test. There are multiple explanations for January’s changes in how Meta will moderate content across its platforms, including financial ones, the evolving views of CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Meta’s policies simply swaying in line with the political pendulum.

Examining the Online Posting Behaviors and Trajectories of Incel Forum Members

By Brenna Helm, Thomas J. Holt, Ryan Scrivens, Thomas W. Wojciechowski, and Richard Frank This article summarizes a recent study published in Crime and Delinquency. Involuntary celibates, or incels, have been of heightened interest to scholars and practitioners due to their ongoing engagement in misogynistic and violent discourse. Yet the incel subculture is complex, requiring

‘Men Win Again’: Who is far-right influencer Nick Fuentes?

By Erin Stoner Trump’s election victory was met with a barrage of online discourse; his supporters celebrated his second electoral win and his opponents solemnly braced themselves for what the next four years may bring. In mere hours after his victory, out of the online woodwork emerged right-wing political commentators, high on success. Of note,

Incel Paradox: Hating Others, While Hating Themselves?

By Bo Min Keum Incel communities raise concerns about their misogyny and its potential to take radical forms and inspire extremist violence. However, they also exhibit considerable self-loathing and suicidal thoughts, often discussing methods to end one’s life and their term ‘rope’ serving as a common reference to suicide. I was curious to understand the

Emotions and Violence Legitimation in Conspiracy Narratives

By Darja Wischerath This blog post is a condensed version of a recently published article in New Media + Society. To read the full article click here. The mainstreaming of conspiracy theories has coincided with a troubling rise in real-world violence. From attacks on infrastructure to mass shootings justified by extremist beliefs, conspiracy narratives increasingly