Joe Whittaker
Lecturer in Criminology, Sociology, and Social Policy at Swansea University
Doctoral Degree from Swansea University and Leiden University, researching Online Radicalisation.
Graduate of the University of Hull: MA International Politics (Middle East Studies), BA (Hons) Politics & Philosophy.
Doctoral Degree from Swansea University and Leiden University, researching Online Radicalisation.
Graduate of the University of Hull: MA International Politics (Middle East Studies), BA (Hons) Politics & Philosophy.
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• Investigations were conducted on three social media platforms – YouTube, Reddit and Gab – to establish whether the sites’ recommender systems promote extremist material.
• The recommender system of one social media platform – YouTube – prioritises extreme right-wing material after interaction with similar content, supporting the findings of a previous study.
• The authors do not find evidence of this effect on either Reddit or Gab. This is significant as Gab has been identified by many as a safe haven for extreme right-wing movements. This finding suggests that it is the users, rather than the site architecture, which drives extremist content on Gab
• Considerations relating to finding appropriate sources to collect data and the merits and limitations of different sources. While there is an abundance of rich data, discerning how and where to find it, as well as judging between conflicting sources, can be challenging;
• The difficulties in identifying robust inclusion and exclusion criteria. Parsing through what constitutes membership in VE groups, how to define VE, what constitutes specific geographic or temporal zones, etc., is made more challenging given the nebulous nature of terrorism and violent extremism.
• The development of a codebook that both draws from previous literature and creates new avenues for future research;
• Selecting and undertaking quantitative and qualitative analysis appropriate for the data at hand; and,
• Ethical issues surrounding the collection and storing of personal data, as well as potential naming of violent extremists as part of the research.
This analysis draws from the author’s doctoral research, in which he created a database of Daesh actors within America. The hope is that the reflections of both the successes and failures of his own research can offer guidance for those that seek to undertake similar studies.
• Investigations were conducted on three social media platforms – YouTube, Reddit and Gab – to establish whether the sites’ recommender systems promote extremist material.
• The recommender system of one social media platform – YouTube – prioritises extreme right-wing material after interaction with similar content, supporting the findings of a previous study.
• The authors do not find evidence of this effect on either Reddit or Gab. This is significant as Gab has been identified by many as a safe haven for extreme right-wing movements. This finding suggests that it is the users, rather than the site architecture, which drives extremist content on Gab
• Considerations relating to finding appropriate sources to collect data and the merits and limitations of different sources. While there is an abundance of rich data, discerning how and where to find it, as well as judging between conflicting sources, can be challenging;
• The difficulties in identifying robust inclusion and exclusion criteria. Parsing through what constitutes membership in VE groups, how to define VE, what constitutes specific geographic or temporal zones, etc., is made more challenging given the nebulous nature of terrorism and violent extremism.
• The development of a codebook that both draws from previous literature and creates new avenues for future research;
• Selecting and undertaking quantitative and qualitative analysis appropriate for the data at hand; and,
• Ethical issues surrounding the collection and storing of personal data, as well as potential naming of violent extremists as part of the research.
This analysis draws from the author’s doctoral research, in which he created a database of Daesh actors within America. The hope is that the reflections of both the successes and failures of his own research can offer guidance for those that seek to undertake similar studies.