Virtual Tug of War: A Socio-Technical Analysis of Online Alt-Right and Alt-Left Propaganda
Virtual Tug of War: A Socio-Technical Analysis of Online Alt-Right and Alt-Left Propaganda
Social Media is one of humanity’s most liberating innovations, yet has become a virtual forecourt forextremists who seek to radicalise, recruit, and disseminate propaganda, effectively transforming thistechnology into a vessel for hatred and violence. The research presented here combines the academicdisciplines of Criminology and Computer Science to explore the socio-technical aspects of both leftand right-wing online radicalisation, giving equal weight to both the influence of technology and thesubcultural elements of its users. Methodologically, this paper centres on a comparative semioticcontent analysis of propaganda images, in order to explore the ways in which extremists fromcontrasting sides of the political spectrum utilise the technology of social media to sow the seeds ofdissonance, reinforce existing prejudice and target those who feel marginalised or hold an existinggrievance. Utilising evidence collected from Twitter, YouTube and 4Chan, this paper argues that theburgeoning ideological divide within contemporary society, is not solely based upon societal andpolitical upheaval, but also the ability of social media platforms to create and promote ideological echo chambers, which, in turn, accentuates the need for increased algorithmic transparency and accountability. Ultimately, this paper argues that when it comes to extremism the technology of social media is inherently neither good, nor bad, but it is not neutral either, and whilst machine learning algorithms can lead people further down a radicalisation rabbit hole, these technological mechanisms cannot be considered in isolation from the subcultural elements that surround the users of this technology.
Kingdon, Ashton
c432a21d-9395-47d2-bc34-1ee77f63bc5c
25 June 2019
Kingdon, Ashton
c432a21d-9395-47d2-bc34-1ee77f63bc5c
Kingdon, Ashton
(2019)
Virtual Tug of War: A Socio-Technical Analysis of Online Alt-Right and Alt-Left Propaganda.
Terrorism and Social Media: International Conference, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom.
25 - 26 Jun 2019.
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Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
Social Media is one of humanity’s most liberating innovations, yet has become a virtual forecourt forextremists who seek to radicalise, recruit, and disseminate propaganda, effectively transforming thistechnology into a vessel for hatred and violence. The research presented here combines the academicdisciplines of Criminology and Computer Science to explore the socio-technical aspects of both leftand right-wing online radicalisation, giving equal weight to both the influence of technology and thesubcultural elements of its users. Methodologically, this paper centres on a comparative semioticcontent analysis of propaganda images, in order to explore the ways in which extremists fromcontrasting sides of the political spectrum utilise the technology of social media to sow the seeds ofdissonance, reinforce existing prejudice and target those who feel marginalised or hold an existinggrievance. Utilising evidence collected from Twitter, YouTube and 4Chan, this paper argues that theburgeoning ideological divide within contemporary society, is not solely based upon societal andpolitical upheaval, but also the ability of social media platforms to create and promote ideological echo chambers, which, in turn, accentuates the need for increased algorithmic transparency and accountability. Ultimately, this paper argues that when it comes to extremism the technology of social media is inherently neither good, nor bad, but it is not neutral either, and whilst machine learning algorithms can lead people further down a radicalisation rabbit hole, these technological mechanisms cannot be considered in isolation from the subcultural elements that surround the users of this technology.
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Published date: 25 June 2019
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Terrorism and Social Media: International Conference, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom, 2019-06-25 - 2019-06-26
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Local EPrints ID: 469126
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/469126
PURE UUID: bc3da1ae-8062-42c4-93bf-20cbdecf20a6
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Date deposited: 07 Sep 2022 16:31
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:07
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