Blog
The Importance of Proportionality and Transparency in the Moderation of Borderline Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content
December 13, 2023
By Ellie Rogers Most major tech companies are actively removing illegal content such as terrorist and violent extremist content (TVEC) as part of the e-Commerce directive. However, there has been an increasing focus on the need for tech companies to address borderline TVEC proportionately, consistently and transparently. There is no universal definition for borderline TVEC, ...
Blog
The Plight of Straight White Men: Main Findings from a Study of the Subreddit r/unpopularopinion
December 6, 2023
By Kenneth R. Hanson, C.J. Pascoe, and Ryan Light This article summarizes a recent paper published in Sex Roles that examines how cultural issues of masculinity, whiteness, and straightness are expressed and valued on the semi-anonymous online forum Reddit.     Today’s world might seem more egalitarian than ever, with legal rights protecting numerous minority populations ...
Blog
Examining Incel Subculture on Reddit
July 13, 2022
This article summarizes a recent study published in the Journal of Crime and Justice. By Brenna Helm, Ryan Scrivens, Thomas J. Holt, Steven M. Chermak, and Richard Frank The online presence of incels, or involuntary celibates, has been an increasing security concern for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in recent years, given that self-identified incels – ...
Blog
Incel Culture: What We’ve Learned From Investigating Plymouth Attacker’s Digital Footprint
September 1, 2021
By Blyth Crawford and Florence Keen In the wake of a mass shooting in Plymouth, England, fresh questions are being asked about incel culture and whether crimes committed by its adherents should be considered terrorism. Jake Davison went on a shooting spree in his hometown, killing five people, including his mother, before taking his own life. As part ...
Blog
Don’t (Just) Blame Echo Chambers. Conspiracy Theorists Actively Seek Out Their Online Communities
December 4, 2019
By Colin Klein, Adam Dunn, Peter Clutton Why do people believe conspiracy theories? Is it because of who they are, what they’ve encountered, or a combination of both? The answer is important. Belief in conspiracy theories helps fuel climate change denial, anti-vaccination stances, racism, and distrust of the media and science. In a paper published ...
Blog
Violent Misogyny, Mass Murder and Suicide: It’s Time to Save Incels from Themselves
October 9, 2019
Incels are a danger to society and to themselves. Technology has made the problem worse, but it can also help fix it. Involuntary celibates, or incels, believe that a socio-genetic conspiracy theory is preventing them from having sexual relationships with women. Denied their right to sex because society has deemed them unworthy, some of their ...
Blog
Upvoting Extremism, Part II: An Assessment of Extreme-Right Discourse on Reddit
December 5, 2018
By Tiana Gaudette, Garth Davies, and Ryan Scrivens This blog is Part II of II. Click here for Part I. This blog is the second of a two-part series that was presented at the ‘VOX-Pol Conference – Violent Extremism, Terrorism, and the Internet: Present and Future Trends’ in Amsterdam on 20 August 2018. Last week on ...
Blog
Upvoting Extremism, Part I: An Assessment Of Extreme Right Discourse On Reddit
November 28, 2018
By Tiana Gaudette, Garth Davies, and Ryan Scrivens This blog is the first of a two-part series; it was originally presented at the ‘VOX-Pol Conference – Violent Extremism, Terrorism, and the Internet: Present and Future Trends’ in Amsterdam on 20 August 2018. Like other extremist movements, right-wing extremists from across the globe have exploited the power of the ...
Blog
New digital methods can be used to analyse linguistic terms and better understand Reddit communities
November 15, 2017
By Tim Squirrell Reddit is now the fourth most visited website in the US. Yet, surprisingly, given its position as an extremely large community, it has been the subject of relatively little research. Tim Squirrell has developed methods of studying the genealogy, spread, and use of particular words on Reddit, as demonstrated by this case ...