Mobilising Extremism in Times of Change: Analysing the UK’s Far-Right Online Content During the Pandemic

Abstract

The growing dissension towards the political handling of COVID-19, widespread job losses, backlash to extended lockdowns, and hesitancy surrounding the vaccine are propagating toxic far-right discourses in the UK. Moreover, the public is increasingly reliant on different social media platforms, including a growing number of participants on the far-right’s fringe online networks, for all pandemic-related news and interactions. Therefore, with the proliferation of harmful far-right narratives and the public’s reliance on these platforms for socialising, the pandemic environment is a breeding ground for radical ideologically-based mobilisation and social fragmentation. However, there remains a gap in understanding how these far-right online communities, during the pandemic, utilise societal insecurities to attract candidates, maintain viewership, and form a collective on social media platforms. The article aims to better understand online far-right mobilisation by examining, via a mixed-methodology qualitative content analysis and netnography, UK-centric content, narratives, and key political figures on the fringe platform, Gab. Through the dual-qualitative coding and analyses of 925 trending posts, the research outlines the platform’s hate-filled media and the toxic nature of its communications. Moreover, the findings illustrate the far-right’s online discursive dynamics, showcasing the dependence on Michael Hogg’s uncertainty-identity mechanisms in the community’s exploitation of societal insecurity. From these results, I propose a far-right mobilisation model termed Collective Anxiety, which illustrates that toxic communication is the foundation for the community’s maintenance and recruitment. These observations set a precedent for hate-filled discourse on the platform and consequently have widespread policy implications that need addressing.

Public Mental Health Approaches to Online Radicalisation: An Empty Systematic Review

“…These hypotheses emerged after an initial analysis of DRIVE project interview data from four European countries focusing on young persons’ narratives relating to their thoughts and experiences of social exclusion, marginalisation, extremism and radicalisation. In reviewing this data, two central themes emerged of relevance for this review: first, knowledge of and engagement with online sites promoting radicalisation emerged as a consistent and dominant theme of concern for and by participants; second, hybrid patterns of online/offline radicalisation exposure were identified, often related to lock-down during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”

The Extremism Machine: Exploring the Effects of Digital Capitalism on the Far-Right Field

“…The internet has allowed people with diverse interests and identities to connect on a global scale. Critically, however, in the wake of the optimism of the 2000s internet boom (see Chapter Three), the proliferation of the modern internet has also enabled the massive state-and non-state actor-led production and dissemination of mis-and disinformation (Pomerantsev, 2019), the rise in the mainstreaming of hate-cultures and far-right views Udupa et al, 2021), and the normalisation of conspiracy theories, particularly those related to the far-right (Brooton, 2020;Collins, 2023;Weiman and Masri, 2023;Winter, 2019). These are core issues that so far, our digital society has struggled to grapple with.…”

“…There is a growing body of literature that acknowledges the power of the internet in assisting political and religious extremist groups such as ISIS, the US 'alt-right' and the global far-right to 'radicalise' and recruit members into their corrosive worldviews (Brooton, 2020;Collins, 2023;Udupa et al, 2021;Weiman and Masri, 2023;Winter, 2019). Notwithstanding the debates surrounding 'extremist' views and 'radicalisation' that Marwick et al, (2022) have recently addressed, and the raft of complex grievances that such communities express, the internet has enabled the access to, and acceleration of these socially corrosive beliefs.…”

“…Digital media continues to be imbued with addictive and harmful algorithms to keep us online and consuming (Andreassen, 2015;Smith and Short, 2022). Technology continues to be used as a tool to spread hate, disinformation, and conspiracy theories (Brooton, 2020;Collins, 2023;Udupa et al, 2021;Weiman and Masri, 2023;Winter, 2019). Social media platforms continue to harbour bad actors and those who aim to enact social and political change to subvert the rights of others.…”

“…Social media platforms continue to harbour bad actors and those who aim to enact social and political change to subvert the rights of others. White supremacists continue to be allowed to interact and spread their ideas on major platforms (Collins, 2023;Weiman and Mastri, 2023;Winter, 2019). The United Nations Human Rights Council's description of Facebook during the Rohingya Genocide still holds true as being "a useful instrument for those seeking to spread hate."…”