J.M. Berger is a consultant and author working on a suite of related issues that include extremism, misinformation, propaganda, advanced social media analysis, and technology sector content policies. A research fellow with VOX-Pol and a postgraduate research student at Swansea University’s School of Law, where he studies extremist ideologies, he is the author of four
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The parallel economy: the rightwing movement creating a safe haven for deplatformed conservative influencers
By Jing Zeng, Utrecht University and Daniela Mahl, University of Zurich The last few years have seen the west swept by political polarisation, much of which has played out online. Debates around race, gender and freedom of speech have splintered democracies, spread conspiracy theories and sparked a series of culture wars. One byproduct of this
Plotters: The UK Terrorists Who Failed – A Book Review
A Book Review by Joe Whittaker It is often said that online terrorism research has a data problem. While there is a sizable empirical literature into the “supply” of extremist content, such as propaganda videos, social media analyses, or jihadist magazines, we still know very little about how actual terrorists act. This data problem is,
Hate in the Homeland: Reorienting Our Analytic Perspective on Extremism – A Book Review
A Book Review by Ashley Mattheis Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right takes an innovative line of approach to exploring processes of radicalization through an analysis of spaces and places where interaction and engagement with extremism occur. This may seem a small shift but represents a major perspectival refocusing in both practical
My Wish to be a #Tradwife: An Introduction to #tradwife Memes on Whisper
By Ninian Frenguelli and Amy-Louise Watkin Research into online extremist behaviour is centred around Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, 4chan, Telegram, and Gab. Studies focusing on platforms where image sharing is the purpose (rather than text or video sharing) are generally underrepresented in the literature on online extremist content. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube account for 55%, 35% and 8.7% of the studies
Using Online Data in Terrorism Research
by Stuart Macdonald, Elizabeth Pearson, Ryan Scrivens, and Joe Whittaker This article summarises a recent paper published in Lara Frumkin, John Morrison, and Andrew Silke’s A Research Agenda for Terrorism Studies (Elgar). Historically one of the greatest challenges for the study of extreme or terrorist groups was access. Today, online spaces offer researchers a level
VOX-Pol Newsletter 10(1) March 2023
Welcome to Volume 10, Issue 1 of the VOX-Pol Newsletter. NEW VOX-Pol PUBLICATION: REASSURE VOX-Pol is pleased to present the latest report in the VOX-Pol publication series, titled Online Extremism and Terrorism Researchers’ Security, Safety, and Resilience: Findings from the Field, authored by Elizabeth Pearson, Joe Whittaker, Till Baaken, Sara Zeiger, Farangiz Atamuradova, and Maura Conway. Elizabeth
Proto-State Media Systems: The Digital Rise of of Al-Qaeda and ISIS – A Book Review
Book Review by Andrew Glazzard Terrorism is, as we know, propaganda in word and deed. Terrorists communicate symbolically (through their choice of targets, or their methods of attack) as well as directly through statements, stories and appeals. There is, therefore, no shortage of studies addressing how terrorists exploit mass media, from the made-for-television spectaculars of
The ‘Great Migration’: Recent Accelerationist Efforts to Switch Social Media Platforms
By Charlie Winter Since Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter in October, there has been much conjecture about how its changes in policy, particularly in relation to the reinstatement of accounts belonging to prominent white supremacists and conspiracy theorists, will make Twitter a new core arena for extreme right wing (ERW) messaging and outreach. Notably, this
Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has disrupted the Christchurch Call – NZ needs to rethink its digital strategy
By Markus Luczak-Roesch, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter as the new sole private owner has delivered plenty of material for memes. Ironically, much of the debate about Twitter is still happening on the platform itself, sometimes with Musk jumping into the conversations personally. At the same time,