A number of disturbing recent events have thrown a spotlight on extremist violence, particularly the way in which young people are radicalised online.
Austrian authorities recently canceled three concerts on the Taylor Swift Eras tour after learning of a 19-year-old’s alleged plan to attack visitors to a Vienna stadium.
ASIO chief Mike Burgess warned that more and more young people are becoming radicalised online and that we are seeing an acceleration of internet-fuelled violent extremism. “The internet can grab people quickly and damage young brains that are not yet fully developed,” he said. “You can quickly fall down a rabbit hole of hate.”
So why is this happening and what can we do to contain it?
How do young people become radicalized on the Internet?
Modern online environments encourage extremism. The digital platforms of major technology companies are designed for profit rather than democracy. Engagement generates revenue and extreme content tends to increase engagement.
The speed with which we can generate and spread disinformation makes it harder than ever to distinguish fact from fiction.
This means that extremist recruiters have never been so successful in quickly targeting vulnerable individuals.
But exposure to extreme content does not automatically lead to radicalization. Extremist messages are most effective when they address real and perceived grievances that young people may be experiencing.
Potentially violent radicalisation online is most likely to occur when the needs of young people are not met.
This can happen when a person is red-pilled by far-right messages. Or they can be black-pilled while on an incel forum. Incel stands for “involuntary celibate” and represents a culture of men who have had no success in attracting a woman and have become hostile towards women in general.
Young men, for example, are increasingly exposed to misogynistic online content, often designed to capitalize on their insecurities and offer them “solutions.”
So-called “manosphere” content can lead men to believe that feminism is responsible for their problems. This can increase the likelihood of male violence against women.
Young people are looking for a sense of belonging, dignity and meaning. We know that they are more resistant to violent radicalisation when they feel connected to like-minded people and to people who think differently from them. It is also important that they feel they can trust institutions and participate in social life.
Most young people recruited by extremist groups are made to believe that they are fighting for a “just cause” that involves preserving human dignity.
We should not forget that the Internet can also facilitate positive forms of radicalization. For example, people can be radicalized to engage in democracy. We can see this in a “coconut-like” resistance to the far-right movement surrounding US presidential candidate Donald Trump.
How can we intervene?
Research I conducted as part of the Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism and Polarization project shows that arts-based grassroots work can help people disengage from online extremism.
Such interventions are understandable and motivate people to take positive social action.
Take online gaming, for example. While it is often associated with recruitment for hate-based ideologies, online gaming cultures can also be used to educate young people about extremism.
Loulu is one such initiative.
Developed by the German organization Onlinetheater.live in collaboration with the performance art theater HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Loulu is a digital, interactive game that cleverly educates players about the manipulation tactics of the extreme right.
The caption of the above Instagram post reads in English:
Loulu – an interactive fiction about right-wing extremist and anti-feminist networks on the Internet (…) Together with @kulturstiftungdesbundes and supported by @hauberlin, we have developed an app that reflects the manipulation strategies of right-wing extremist and anti-feminist networks.
This award-winning free smartphone app uses a fictional influencer named Loulu to educate people about ways of radicalization on the Internet.
The game takes place in a fictional city in Germany where a right-wing extremist terrorist attack has just taken place.
Loulu presents a real-life scenario in an interactive format with a visually appealing and sophisticated design. The game helps players develop their critical thinking skills and build resilience against the recruitment efforts of violent extremist online groups.
Alternative narrative strategies
Memes by feminist artist and influencer Lily O’Farrell (@vulgadrawings) are another example of a successful communication intervention.
The artist began exploring the nuances of the manosphere in 2021 after engaging with young men who were trolling her on Instagram.
These men became aware of their account after it was shared in a men’s rights subreddit group.
Concerned that the group was predominantly made up of young men between the ages of 16 and 23, O’Farrell decided to investigate the movement by joining incel subreddit groups.
Following these investigations, the cartoonist produced a series of drawings titled “Everything I Learned About Incels.” This series shed light on the incelosphere for her 319,000 followers, who are mostly feminists.
Rather than demonizing incels, her drawings provide an anatomy of movement that gives viewers insight into their black-pill logic.
O’Farrell recognizes the real and perceived grievances of the young men in these groups.
These include loneliness, body image insecurities, and a lack of mental health support. Incels blame women.
The artist’s caricatures reveal that the causes of these grievances lie in the structures of patriarchy.
This helps young male viewers from the incel spectrum realize that women are not responsible for such structures, but are also victims of them.
The artist’s drawings are an excellent example of an alternative narrative strategy that can help counteract violent radicalization through critical, empathetic engagement.
