The internet makes it too easy to ‘fall down a rabbit hole of hate’. So, what works to curb online extremism?

A suite of recent troubling events have once again shone a spotlight on extremist violence, especially the kind involving online radicalisation of young people.

Austrian authorities recently cancelled three Taylor Swift Eras tour concerts after learning of a 19-year-old’s suspected plot to attack attendees at a Vienna stadium.

ASIO Chief Mike Burgess has warned more young people are radicalising online and that we are seeing an acceleration of internet-fuelled violent extremism. “The internet can grab people quickly and hurt young brains which are not fully formed,” he said. “You can fall down a rabbit hole of hate quickly.”

So, why is this happening and what can we do to curb it?

How are young people radicalised online?

Contemporary online environments enable extremism. Big tech digital platforms are designed for profit, rather than democracy. Engagement creates revenue and extreme content tends to increase engagement.

The speed with which we can generate and share disinformation makes it harder than ever to distinguish fact from fiction.

This means extremist recruiters have never been more empowered in their ability to quickly target vulnerable individuals.

But exposure to extreme content does not guarantee radicalisation. Extremist messaging is most effective when it taps into real and perceived grievances young people may be experiencing.

Potentially violent online radicalisation is most likely to happen when young people’s needs are unmet.

This can occur when a person is “red-pilled” through encountering far-right messaging. Or, they may be “black-pilled” while dwelling in an incel forum. Incel stands for “involuntary celibate” and represents a culture of men who, by being unsuccessful so far in attracting a woman, have grown hostile toward women as a whole.

Young men, for example, are increasingly targeted with misogynist content online. Often this content is designed to monetise their insecurities and provide “solutions” to them.

So-called “manosphere” content may influence men to believe feminism is to blame for their struggles. It may increase the likelihood of male violence against women.

Young people seek belonging, dignity and purpose. We know they are more likely to be resilient to violent radicalisation when they feel connected to like-minded others, and to people who think differently to them. It is also important they feel they can trust institutions and engage in civic participation.

Most young people who are recruited by extremist groups are led to believe they are mobilising for a “just cause” that seeks to uphold human dignity.

We should remember the internet can also enable positive forms of radicalisation. For example, people can be radicalised to engage in democracy. We can see this happening in a “coconut-pilled” resistance to the far-right movement linked to US presidential candidate Donald Trump.

What can we do to intervene?

Research I undertook as part of the Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism and Polarisation project reveals that grassroots arts-based work can support people to disengage from online extremism.

Such interventions are relatable and steer people toward positive social action.

Take, for example, online gaming. While often associated with recruitment into hate-based ideologies, online gaming cultures can also be used to educate young people about extremism.

Loulu is one such initiative.

Designed by German organisation Onlinetheater.live in collaboration with HAU Hebbel am Ufer Performance art theatre, Loulu is a digital, interactive game. It cleverly educates players about the manipulation tactics of the far right.

The caption on the Instagram post above, in English, says:

Loulu - an interactive fiction about far-right 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 and anti-feminist networks.

This award-winning free smartphone app is designed to educate about online radicalisation pathways via a fictional influencer called Loulu.

The game is set in a fictional city in Germany where a far-right terrorist attack has just occurred.

Taking an interactive format, Loulu presents a true-to-life scenario in a visually appealing and sophisticated design. The game helps build players’ critical thinking skills and bolster their resilience to the recruitment efforts of violent online extremist groups.

Alternative narrative strategies

Memes by feminist artist influencer Lily O’Farrell (@vulgadrawings) are another example of a successful communications intervention.

The artist began to engage with the nuances of the manosphere in 2021 after she started talking to young men trolling her on Instagram.

These men had become aware of her account after it was shared in a men’s rights subreddit group.

Concerned the group was made up of young men predominantly aged 16-23, 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’ve learned about incels. This series illuminated the incelosphere for her mostly feminist 319,000 followers.

Instead of demonising incels, her drawings provide an anatomy of the movement that gives viewers insight into its black-pilled logic.

O’Farrell acknowledges the real and perceived grievances of young men in these groups.

These include loneliness, body-image insecurities and a lack of mental health support, all blamed by incels on women.

The artist’s cartoons expose the root causes of these grievances as being tied to the structures of patriarchy.

This helps young male viewers on the incel spectrum to see that women are not responsible for, but are instead also victims of, such structures.

The artist’s drawings are an excellent example of an alternative narrative strategy that can help disrupt violent radicalisation through critically empathetic engagement.