Meili CriezisChallenging the Gatekeepers: the Experiences of Women of Colour Researchers in the Terrorism Studies Field
This Insight is part of GNET’s Gender and Online Violent Extremism series in partnership with Monash Gender, Peace and Security Centre. This series…
Dr Alexandra PhelanOnline Platforms as Gendered Sites: Why We Should Pay Attention to Women-Only Forums
This Insight is part of GNET’s Gender and Online Violent Extremism series in partnership with Monash Gender, Peace and Security Centre. This series…
Jacqui TrueThe Challenges and Potential of Harnessing Technology for the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence and Violent Extremism
This Insight is part of GNET’s Gender and Online Violent Extremism series in partnership with Monash Gender, Peace and Security…
Erica BarbarossaCranking Out Violence: Conspiracies are Driving More Politically-Motivated Attacks
In the early hours of October 28th, Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was awoken by an assailant…
Rachel KowertExtremist Action in Digital Gaming Spaces: The Role of Identity Fusion
Radicalisation, Extremism, and Digital Games Over the last few years, the topics of extremism and radicalisation have reached the forefront…
Moustafa AyadIslamic State Supporters on Twitter: How is ‘New’ Twitter Handling an Old Problem?
The ‘Impersonation’ Insurgency Elon Musk has launched a war on “impersonation.” While most of those in his sights are parodying…
Jordan ChapmanHitting Rock Bottom: The Radicalising Potential of Celebrity Culture
In less than a month, Kanye West went from being one of the world’s most famous musicians and designers to…
Mona ThakkarIslamic Translation Centre (ITC): Taking Al-Qaeda’s Media Jihad Global
Introduction In the Salafi-Jihadist milieu, Al Qaeda (AQ) and the Islamic State (IS) are in competition to attract new supporters…
Dr. Bethan Johnson‘All my Heroes are Dead’: The Untimely Demise of The American Futurist – James Mason Partnership
On 30 October, the prominent accelerationist website The American Futurist announced: “We are cutting ties with James Mason effective immediately.”…
Brenna HelmThe Role of Perceived Injustice and Need for Esteem on Incel Membership Online
Introduction Incels, or involuntary celibates, is an increasingly popular subculture of men nestled within the online misogynist and male supremacist…
Dr. Alexis HenshawSocial Media, Conspiracies, and Brazil’s Presidential Transition
On October 30, 2022, Brazilians voted in a presidential election that was closely watched around the world. For scholars of…
Joshua MolloyUnderstanding Eco-Fascism: A Thematic Analysis of the Eco-Fascist Subculture on Telegram
‘Eco-fascism’ gained much attention following the 2019 Christchurch and El Paso attacks, with both attackers fusing environmental degradation and overpopulation…
Broderick McDonaldExtremists are Seeping Back into the Mainstream: Algorithmic Detection and Evasion Tactics on Social Media Platforms
As ISIS established its caliphate in 2014, its supporters flooded mainstream social media platforms to share propaganda, plan attacks, and…
Jacob WareIdeological Leaderless Resistance in the Digital Age
“As for my ideology, it’s hard to say” These are the words of a teenage terrorist who killed two in…
Dr. Daniel KoehlerExtreme Right Radicalisation of Children via Online Gaming Platforms
The world is experiencing a new wave of far-right terrorism. There are concerning developments. First, the use of online gaming…
Linda SchlegelPlaying Against Radicalisation: Why Extremists are Gaming and How P/CVE Can Leverage the Positive Effects of Video Games to Prevent Radicalisation
The potential nexus between gaming and extremism is an increasingly important concern for researchers, tech companies, policymakers, and practitioners working…
Julia KupperThe Venomous Rhetorical Web of Far-Right Terrorists
On September 14, 2022, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs questioned current and former executives from…
Hannah RoseThe Bratislava Attacks: Insights from the Shooter’s Manifesto
On Wednesday 12 October 2022, two people were killed by a gunman outside an LGBT+ bar in Bratislava, Slovakia. The…
Zafar Iqbal YousafzaiThe Taliban’s Use of Twitter as a Tool to Spread their Voice
Introduction According to the principle of realism described by Noam Chomsky in his book Propaganda and the Public Mind, those…
Joshua MolloyThe Emerging Raw Food Movement and the ‘Great Reset’
Introduction Food has become an increasingly visible topic across far-right digital subcultures as well as the broader right-wing online ecosystem.…
Sammie WicksNihilism and Mass Shooterism: Unclear Categories and Potential Dangers
In 2022, public mass shootings continue to present a serious societal challenge in the US. This year has already experienced over…
Dr. Lewys BraceExtremist Influencers: Hyper- and Super-Posters in Extremist Forums
Investigating Posting Behaviour in Extremist Online Spaces The growing concern over online extremist radicalisation has driven increased interest in the…
Moustafa AyadResurrecting the Reich: Middle Eastern and North African Digital Nazi Communities
In 1926, the first Nazi Party cell was set up in Alexandria, Egypt. It would soon be followed by one…
Ellie RogersThe Role of User Agency in the Algorithmic Amplification of Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content
There is an increasing focus by governments and certain concerned civil society initiatives that algorithms might be amplifying terrorist and…
Abhinaya MurthyThe Tate Storm: Why Banning Andrew Tate from Social Media Will Not Stop the ‘King of Toxic Masculinity’
“This War has Just Begun” In August 2022, UK-based advocacy group Hope Not Hate made waves when they successfully campaigned…
Matthew KrinerAnalysing Terrorgram Publications: A New Digital Zine
Introduction “For every Accelerationist who contributed to this book, there are 10000 others who will download, read and become further…
Dr. Ryan ScrivensRight-Wing Extremists’ Use of the Internet: Emerging Trends in the Empirical Literature
Introduction Close attention by journalists and policymakers to the widespread use of the Internet by violent Western (i.e., American, Canadian,…
Daniela PisoiuCan Serious Games Make a Difference in P/CVE?
Video games and gamification have become key tools of extremist actors’ recruitment arsenal and have taken a central role in…
Jon DeedmanThe Time for e-Democracy is Now: How a Digitally Functional Democracy Could Prevent Extremist Accelerationism
Online hate communities view ongoing democratic backsliding as supportive of their accelerationist cause. Tech companies and governments must therefore seize…
Weeda MehranHumour in Jihadi Rhetoric: A Comparative Analysis of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, TTP, and the Taliban
Humour in Jihadi magazines plays a significant role in the formation of collective identity and “creates a sense of internal…
Gurpreet KaurIncel Extremism in India: A View from the Global South
Content warning: this Insight contains descriptions of sexual violence. Introduction Over the years, violent crimes against women have been reported…
Mike RainsHow QAnon is Dealing With The FBI Raid on Trump
When the FBI executed their search warrant on Mar-A-Lago on August 8th, QAnon was all over the news. Their first…
Joe WhittakerRecommendation Systems and Extremism: What Do We Know?
One of the most persistent policy concerns of recent years is the notion that social media platforms’ recommendation systems restrict…
Maeve ParkUnderstanding The Incel Experience Online
Incel, short for ‘involuntarily celibate’, is self-identification used exclusively by cis-gender, straight males who congregate exclusively in online spaces, and…
Shweta DesaiInside Hindutva’s Great Replacement Conspiracy
The recent killings of African Americans in Buffalo, New York, have once again renewed discussions of the ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy…
Meili CriezisAl Qa’ida and Islamic State Supporter Reactions to Zawahiri’s Death
This Insight provides a quick overview of al-Qa’ida supporter reactions to Zawahiri’s death followed by a closer focus on pro-IS…
Click here to read our latest report “30 Years of Trends in Terrorist and Extremist Games”