The dark side of online activism

Swedish right-wing extremist video activism on YouTube

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2653729
AutoresMattias Ekman (0000-0002-8866-0972, Stockholm University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2014
Volumen30
Número56
Fecha de publicación2014-06-30
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaMedieKultur Journal of media and communication research (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0900-9671 • E-ISSN: 1901-9726
EditorialDet Kgl. Bibliotek/Royal Danish Library (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.7146/mediekultur.v30i56.8967
OpenAlexW1904879494
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas53
Referencias citadas23

In recent years, an emerging body of work, centred on specific communicative forms used in facilitating collective and connective action, have contributed to greater understanding of how digital communication relates to social mobilisation. Plenty of these studies highlight the progressive potentiality of digital communication. However, undemocratic actors also utilise the rapid advancement in digital technology. This article explores the online video activism of extreme right-wing groups in Sweden. It analyses more than 200 clips on YouTube, produced by five right-wing extremist organisations. The study shows that the extreme right deploy video activism as a strategy of visibility to mobilise and strengthen activists. Moreover, the groups attempt to alter the perception of (historically-rooted) socio-political identities of the extreme right. Furthermore, YouTube becomes a political arena in which action repertoires and street politics are adapted to the specific characteristics of online video activism. Finally, video activism could be understood as an aestheticisation of politics

Action (physics · Collective action · Great Rift · Media studies · Perception · Political activism · Political science · Politics · Right wing · Sociology · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Psychology · Social Media and Politics