Contextual
Resources
Once a government or tech company develops a definition of terrorism or violent extremism, it can be difficult to know how to apply these definitions to the variety of ways that terrorism and violent extremism manifests internationally and across online spaces.
This section of the site aims to highlight contextual resources on themes related to applying definitions to the online space. GIFCT funds the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET) to bring forward actionable insights from experts and practitioners around the world to better inform and give context to tech companies, governments, practitioners and other stakeholders in this field. Insights are curated here under context-based themes.
Filters
Tactical Exploitation of Online Services
Memes
Tactical Exploitation of Online Services
Online terrorism and violent extremism comes in many forms and platforms are equally exploited in a variety of ways. Terrorist and violent extremist groups and individuals, like average users, use a mixture of platforms to further their aims. This cross-platform approach facilitates in storing content, holding private or confidential conversations, e-commerce for buying and selling goods as well as fundraising, recruitment, and the amplification of propaganda and messaging to the public. These signals, trends and adversarial shifts around this exploitation are highlighted by global experts.
Memes
Electronic ethnographic research reveals that the appeal of humourous content, including memes, has been exploited by terrorist and extremist groups online. Along with the grim innovation of performing gamified violence intended for consumption by social media audiences, the attackers’ use a unique set of memes in their manifestoes and overall online communication. In particular, the Christchurch attacker also called upon others to “create memes, post memes, and spread memes. Memes have done more for the ethno-nationalist movement than any manifesto.”
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29th October 2020What’s in a Meme? The Rise of “Saint Kyle”Hampton Stall, David Foran, Hari Prasad
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23rd July 2020Plug-and-Play Propaganda: Understanding Production Quality in Atomwaffen Division VideosAshley Mattheis, Mark Robinson, Austin Blair
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