Right-Wing Extremists’ Use of the Internet: Emerging Trends in the Empirical Literature

Scrivens, Ryan; Gaudette, Tiana; Conway, Maura; Holt, Thomas J.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-99804-2_14

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Moreover, social media has facilitated the recruitment and support mobilisation for far‐right groups, promoting both online and onsite activities (Hutchinson et al., 2022). These groups strategically employ Islamophobic messages, employing othering, dehumanisation, scapegoating, and conspiracy theories to depict Muslims as a societal threat (Scrivens et al., 2022 as cited in Hutchinson et al., 2022; Smith & Iner, 2021). This has legitimised prejudices and normalised extreme hatred against Muslims.…”

Section: The Use Of Social Media In Spreading Hatementioning

confidence: 99%

The interaction between online and offline Islamophobia and anti‐mosque campaigns: The literature review with a case study from an anti‐mosque social media page

Ahmanideen,

Iner

2023

Sociology Compass

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In the aftermath of the war on terror, mosques have become targets for hate groups, leveraging online platforms to amplify global anti‐mosque campaigns. These groups link local protestors with international hate networks, fuelling both online and offline (i.e., onsite) anti‐mosque campaigns. Thoroughly reviewing the literature addressing the interaction between online and offline Islamophobia and introducing an anti‐mosque social media page instilling the public with online and offline anti‐mosque hate, this article suggests a strong interaction between online and offline Islamophobia. In the provided case study from the Stop Mosque Bendigo (SMB), purposeful sampling was used to collect postings before and after the Christchurch Mosque attacks to analyse the evolution of online anti‐mosque campaigns in tandem with real‐life hate cases. The literature and the case study reveal the interaction between local and global, digital, and physical realms, as well as the convergence of everyday racism with extremist far‐right ideologies like the Great Replacement theory. Relying on the present literature and indicative findings, the article advocates for systematic investigations to uncover the direct connection between online hate and physical attacks and urges closer monitoring and accountability for those online platforms and social media pages apparently contributing to onsite hate‐driven actions.

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Section: The Use Of Social Media In Spreading Hatementioning

confidence: 99%

The interaction between online and offline Islamophobia and anti‐mosque campaigns: The literature review with a case study from an anti‐mosque social media page

Ahmanideen,

Iner

2023

Sociology Compass

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“…A myriad of researchers have conducted studies on the impact of extremist online content on the radicalization process and terrorist behavior. The high and increasing levels of always-on internet access and the easy production and dissemination of violent and radical content may have radicalizing effects, but as Scriven and Gaudette rightly described it, online radicalization does not happen within a vacuum (Scrivens, 2021). In the African context, with the African reliance on community and kinship, it is important to note that although mobile connection has increased over the last few decades, word-of-mouth and societal influences on radicalization and recruitment cannot be discarded for the shiny new toy of cyberspace.…”

Section: Cyberterrorism In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyberterrorism in Africa – Exaggerated Threat or Worthy Foe?

Grobbelaar¹

2022

FRS

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For many decades, the validity of the concept of cyberterrorism has been questioned. Academics have pondered whether this idea should be regarded as “fact or fancy”. Over time, development, globalization and connectivity have led one to veer towards the thought that this should be fact. However, various challenges are posed: The standalone concept of terrorism is in itself highly contested, and academics have yet to agree on a single definition of the term. Secondly, almost any form of modern threat can in the current age be studied with the added prefix “cyber-”. This raises the question of strategic approaches when combating things like cyberterrorism. The question arises: In how many ways do, and should, these approaches differ from the counterterrorism measures taken against traditional, physical terrorism, and where is a line drawn in the proverbial sand between terrorism, cyberterrorism, crime and cybercrime? In an effort to demarcate the scope and labelling of attacks as cyberterrorism and not necessarily cybercrime, academics have added the element of political motivation and fear to the young and already contested definition of cyberterrorism. This would mean that one of the only aspects differentiating cyberterrorism from terrorism is the use of information technology. This paper questions the validity of the term and threat of cyberterrorism – especially in an African context. With Africa’s limited use and penetration of information technology, the question arises whether this is really a new threat, or simply a natural evolution of the age-old threat of terrorism. Terrorists will always use the latest and best technology and means to their disposal; this research paper aims to understand whether that justifies a completely new concept in African security research.

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“…Far-right extremism, as with most contemporary political movements, transpires across virtual and physical spaces. While social media platforms have become an increasingly popular medium for communicating far-right ideology (Berger et al 2020;Holt et al 2022), facilitating recruitment (Scrivens et al 2022), and mobilising action among the far right (Davey and Ebner 2017;Peucker et al 2021), offline activism and activities continue to play a significant role (Berger et al 2020). As Campion and Poynting (2021, p. 3) have warned, '[t]here are genuine implications for mis-conceptualizing the radicalization of the far right as either offline or online.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online and Offline Coordination in Australia’s Far-Right: A Study of True Blue Crew

et al. 2022

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Far-right extremism transpires in virtual and physical space. In this study, we examine how the Australian far-right extremist group ‘True Blue Crew’ attempted to coordinate their offline activities with their social media activism. To this end, we conducted a thematic content analysis of administrator posts and user comments present on the group’s Facebook page prior to and following an organised street rally in June 2017. This online analysis was partnered with ethnographic field work to gauge the perceptions of group members and supporters during the rally in Melbourne, Victoria. The results highlight the multi-dimensional and intimate manner in which online and offline contexts are coordinated to support far-right activism and mobilisation. This study offers an empirical account of how far-right attitudes, activism, and mobilisation transpired in Australia in the years prior to an Australian committing the Christchurch terror attack. It reveals a growing frustration within the broader far-right movement, leading to later strategic adaptation that can be interpreted as an early warning sign of an environment increasingly conducive to violence. This provides a more nuanced understanding of the context from which far-right terrorism emerges, and speaks to the importance of maintaining a level of analysis that transverses the social and the individual, as well as the online and the offline spaces. Implications for security and government agencies responses are discussed.

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Right-Wing Extremists’ Use of the Internet: Emerging Trends in the Empirical Literature

Cited by 3 publications

References 53 publications

The interaction between online and offline Islamophobia and anti‐mosque campaigns: The literature review with a case study from an anti‐mosque social media page

The interaction between online and offline Islamophobia and anti‐mosque campaigns: The literature review with a case study from an anti‐mosque social media page

Cyberterrorism in Africa – Exaggerated Threat or Worthy Foe?

Online and Offline Coordination in Australia’s Far-Right: A Study of True Blue Crew

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