Over the past decades, far-right extremists have carried out several attacks in the West. Many of them were radicalised through social media and online platforms ….
Why and how does this happen? And what can be done to prevent online extremism?
…
Professor Jonas Kunst at BI Norwegian Business School researches conspiracy theories, extremism, and digital influence.
…
“They’re optimised for engagement, not truth. And we engage most with content we agree with …,” said Kunst.
When a young person goes onto social media with strong feelings – for instance about immigration – algorithms begin reinforcing those emotions from day one. The content shown gradually becomes more radical.
“A person’s beliefs and algorithms together create a self-reinforcing spiral,” said Kunst.
Related on the SLP
Jonas Kunst argues that resilience should be strengthened through digital literacy.
…
“The most effective solution is to change the algorithms so that the most extreme and polarising content is deprioritised. But this is a hard sell to tech companies, since that’s how they make money,” said Kunst.
Translated by Alette Bjordal Gjellesvik
