Memes remain an important potential influence on far-right online radicalisation and cannot be overlooked as an aspect of internet culture. The far right has always thrived in the online space, however scholars Lisa Bogerts and Maik Fielitz suggest that the advent of Web 2.0 catalysed “a process of (post-) modernisation” within the movement, thus creating… Continue reading “The Influence of Memes on Far-Right Radicalisation”
Since 2019, with the attacks in Christchurch, Poway, El Paso, Bærum and Halle, a new form of right-wing terrorism has taken off. Its modus operandi consists of three inseparably linked acts: first, posting a manifesto on an image board that puts racist, far-right content into nihilistic memes; second, attacking a target group at gunpoint, killing… Continue reading “The Visual Culture of Far-Right Terrorism”
In the third part of a series looking at the radical right’s use of alt-tech, Professor Megan Squire takes a look at Telegram – and the shifting sands of technical features and content regulation on the platform. Telegram is an enormously popular social network and encrypted messaging service with more than 300 million monthly users… Continue reading “Alt-Tech & the Radical Right, Part 3: Why Do Hate Groups and Terrorists Love Telegram?”
With radical right extremism on the rise globally, here are 5 ways that we should think about combating it based on policy lessons from the United Kingdom. In a year that has proven especially deadly, policymakers are increasingly turning their attention to the (not so) new phenomenon of extreme right-wing violence. Yet, it does still… Continue reading “5 Ways Policymakers Should Combat The Radical Right In 2020”
Mass shootings like that of El Paso show the grave consequences dangerous narratives circulating on the Chanosphere can be. The imageboard 8chan shut down after the El Paso shooting, but its users did not lose hope that it would reappear. Rumours were rife on Twitter that 8chan would be reincarnated as 8kun. The Qanon conspiracy theory… Continue reading “Endchan: narratives of the Chanosphere”
These memes frame violent mass murder as sanctified white male dominance and a pathway for disaffected young white men to recover their “proper” masculinity. A new series of memes are being shared on social media platforms, including 4Chan and the 8Chan replacement EndChan. These memes visually connect violent Incel culture – an offshoot of Pick… Continue reading “Manifesto memes: the radical right’s new dangerous visual rhetorics”
Even after hosting companies refuse to keep extremist sites like 8chan online, they find other ways to communicate on the dark web. How do we combat this? In the wake of the El Paso shooting, attention turned once again towards imageboards such as 8chan, and their role in radicalization and the spread of terrorist propaganda.… Continue reading “The Radical Right Is Finding New Ways To Communicate Online”
The white supremacist terrorist who targeted Hispanics in El Paso, Texas parallels rhetoric from President Trump and past white supremacist manifestos. At least 22 people were killed, with dozens injured, at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday. Patrick Crusius, a suspected white nationalist terrorist, has been taken into police custody. In a world… Continue reading “How The El Paso Terrorist’s Manifesto Echoes Trump’s Rhetoric”
8chan’s ability to bring the worst of the human mind out into the open drives its traffic. 8chan is one of the most notorious message boards on the internet. Its contents include subjects ranging from extremist political ideas to extreme pornography. Unsurprisingly, it stands by the slogan “Embrace Infamy.” Visitors receive an equally intriguing salutation:… Continue reading “8chan: Where the Appalling Becomes Appealing”