scholarly journals Algorithmic Opportunity Structures and the Dynamics of Online Activism: Far-Right Mobilization on Facebook

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Political Competition ◽  
Political Organization ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Opportunity Structures ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Recommendation Algorithms ◽  
Online Activism ◽  
High Engagement ◽  
Dynamic Equilibria

This paper introduces the concept of algorithmic opportunity structures to explore how the efficacy of online activism is contingent on the interaction between algorithms, activists, and audiences. In particular, I examine how far-right actors have gamed ranking and recommendation algorithms by producing content designed to generate high engagement rates. This tactic attracts algorithmic amplification, increasing their visibility and reach on social media. I consider the case of Britain First, a far-right, anti-Muslim movement that used Facebook to rapidly build the largest audience of any political organization in the United Kingdom. I use digital trace data, time series analysis, and topic modeling to study Britain First’s activity, recruitment, and support on Facebook. I identify dynamic equilibria indicative of algorithmically-mediated feedback loops, highlighting how variation in these processes is largely a function of user engagement. The content of the group’s posts and exogenous events, including elections and terrorist attacks, are also associated with short-term fluctuations in online mobilization. The results suggest that Britain First’s success is attributable to its exploitation of Facebook’s algorithms, demonstrating how technological assemblages designed and controlled by corporations can structure political competition and moderate opportunities for activism.

scholarly journals The Communicative Constitution of Hate Organizations Online: A Semantic Network Analysis of “Make America Great Again”

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 205630511879076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean M. Eddington
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Network ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Organization ◽  
White Supremacist ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Network Analyses ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
White Supremacists ◽  
Media Systems ◽  
Communicative Constitution

In the context of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, President Donald Trump’s use of Twitter to connect with followers and supporters created unprecedented access to Trump’s online political campaign. In using the campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again” (or its acronym “MAGA”), Trump communicatively organized and controlled media systems by offering his followers an opportunity to connect with his campaign through the discursive hashtag. In effect, the strategic use of these networks over time communicatively constituted an effective and winning political organization; however, Trump’s political organization was not without connections to far-right and hate groups that coalesced in and around the hashtag. Semantic network analyses uncovered how the textual nature of #MAGA organized connections between hashtags, and, in doing so, exposed connections to overtly White supremacist groups within the United States and the United Kingdom throughout late November 2016. Cluster analyses further uncovered semantic connections to White supremacist and White nationalist groups throughout the hashtag networks connected to the central slogan of Trump’s presidential campaign. Theoretically, these findings contribute to the ways in which hashtag networks show how Trump’s support developed and united around particular organizing processes and White nationalist language, and provide insights into how these networks discursively create and connect White supremacists’ organizations to Trump’s campaign.

scholarly journals Translational Science for Climate Services: Mapping and Understanding Users’ Climate Service Needs in CSSP China

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-76
Author(s):  
Sarah Opitz-Stapleton ◽  
Roger Street ◽  
Qian Ye ◽  
Jiarui Han ◽  
Chris D. Hewitt
Keyword(s):  
Climate Science ◽  
Service Needs ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Translational Science ◽  
Regular User ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Climate Service ◽  
User Groups

AbstractThe Climate Science for Service Partnership China (CSSP China) is a joint program between China and the United Kingdom to build the basis for climate services to support the weather and climate resilient economic development and welfare in China. Work Package 5 (WP5) provides the translational science on identification of: different users and providers, and their mandates; factors contributing to communication gaps and capacities between various users and providers; and mechanisms to work through such issues to develop and/or evolve a range of climate services. Key findings to emerge include that users from different sectors have varying capacities, requirements, and needs for information in their decision contexts, with a current strong preference for weather information. Separating climate and weather services when engaging users is often not constructive. Furthermore, there is a need to move to a service delivery model that is more user-driven and science informed; having sound climate science is not enough to develop services that are credible, salient, reliable, or timely for diverse user groups. Greater investment in building the capacity of the research community supporting and providing climate services to conduct translational sciences and develop regular user engagement processes is much needed. Such a move would help support the China Meteorological Administration’s (CMA) ongoing efforts to improve climate services. It would also assist in potentially linking a broader group of “super” users who currently act as providers and purveyors of climate services because they find the existing offerings are not relevant to their needs or cannot access CMA’s services.

May Day Demonstrations in Five European Countries

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abby Peterson ◽  
Mattias Wahlström ◽  
Magnus Wennerhag ◽  
Camilo Christancho ◽  
José-Manuel Sabucedo
Keyword(s):  
Political Orientation ◽  
Political Opportunity ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
Opportunity Structures ◽  
The Past ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
May Day ◽  
Political Opportunity Structures ◽  
Political Demonstrations

In this article, we argue that there is an element of rituality in all political demonstrations. This rituality can be either primarily oriented toward the past and designed to consolidate the configuration of political power—hence official—or oriented towards the future and focused on challenging existing power structures—hence oppositional. We apply this conceptual framework in a comparison of May Day demonstrations in Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom in 2010. The demonstrations display significant differences in terms of officiality and oppositionality. Our study provides strong evidence that these differences cannot be explained solely—if at all—by stable elements of the national political opportunity structures. Instead, differences in degrees of oppositionality and officiality among May Day demonstrations should be primarily understood in terms of cultural traditions in combination with volatile factors such as the political orientation of the incumbent government and the level of grievances.

2. Constitutional Nature

2021 ◽  
pp. 41-72
Author(s):  
Robert Schütze
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
United Nations ◽  
International Organization ◽  
Political Organization ◽  
State Sovereignty ◽  
Nation State ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Us ◽  
Conceptual Distinction

This chapter discusses the nature of the European Union, presenting two—opposing—‘federal’ traditions that have been competing with each other over the past 200 years. It begins by introducing the US federal tradition, which has historically understood a Union of States as a third form of political organization between international and national law. The chapter then moves to the newer German federal tradition. Insisting on the indivisibility of sovereignty, this second tradition ultimately led to the following conceptual distinction: a ‘Union of States’ is either an international organization—like the United Nations—or a nation State—like Germany or the United Kingdom. Finally, the chapter applies both theories to the European Union. From the perspective of the older US tradition, the European Union can be seen as a Federation of States. The German tradition, by contrast, reduces it to a (special) international organization. Which is the better theory here? If legal theories are meant to explain legal practice, one sees that the second theory—insisting on the idea of State sovereignty—runs into serious explanatory difficulties and should consequently be discarded. The European Union is indeed best understood as a ‘Federation of States’.

scholarly journals The dependence of election coverage on political institutions: Political competition and policy framing in Germany and the United Kingdom

Journalism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 146488492110607
Author(s):  
Iain McMenamin ◽  
Michael Courtney ◽  
Michael Breen ◽  
Gemma McNulty
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Political Competition ◽  
Coding System ◽  
Policy Framing ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Election Coverage ◽  
Automatic Coding

Election coverage is often assumed to be different to everyday political coverage. We argue that this depends on political institutions. In majoritarian countries, where elections choose governments, election coverage should decisively move towards political competition and away from policy. In consensual countries, where coalitions are based on policy negotiations, there should be a less pronounced shift towards political competition and away from policy. To test this argument, we use an automatic coding system to study 0.9 billion words in Die Welt for 12 years and in the Financial Times for 30 years. The results support our institutional hypothesis.

scholarly journals Designing fascism: The evolution of a neo-Nazi punk aesthetic

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-498
Author(s):  
Ana Raposo ◽  
Russ Bestley
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Business Model ◽  
The Other ◽  
Striking Similarity ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Visual Metaphors ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Terrorist Groups ◽  
Do It Yourself

This article explores the design strategies of four record labels associated with the growth of an explicitly far-right sub-genre of punk in the United Kingdom between 1979 and the early 2000s: Rock-O-Rama Records, White Noise Records, Rebelles Européens and ISD Records. While Rock-O-Rama saw the inclusion of the genre as simply an extension of their existing business model, the other labels were established specifically to support the activities of a small number of explicitly far-right groups who were blacklisted by mainstream producers and distributors within the music industry. These labels were also able to develop independent, do-it-yourself approaches to marketing, promotion and distribution that bear striking similarity to other sub-genres of punk and post-punk in the United Kingdom and Europe, particularly the politically activist hardcore and anarcho-punk scenes. Earlier examples of record covers that employed ambiguous visual metaphors to evoke a mythical Aryan identity were eventually superseded by the emergence of a more extreme form of visual communication that utilized overtly racist images alongside symbols with specific coded meanings to demonstrate a commitment to the white nationalist cause. These visual strategies were to become more explicit as far-right punk scenes moved to embrace fascist ideologies in the 1990s and beyond, as connotations of brotherhood, persecution, endurance, Norse mythology and the nation eventually gave way to direct calls-to-arms and pledges of allegiance with White Power and neo-Nazi terrorist groups.

scholarly journals The problems with feminist nostalgia: Intersectionality and white popular feminism

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-368
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Evans ◽  
Prudence Bussey-Chamberlain
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Radical Politics ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Feminist Politics ◽  
Online Activism ◽  
Trans Women ◽  
Popular Feminism ◽  
Radical Form

Contemporary feminisms are ineluctably drawn into comparisons with historic discourses, forms of praxis and tactical repertoires. While this can underscore points of continuity and commonality in ongoing struggles, it can also result in nostalgia for a more unified and purposeful feminist politics. Kate Eichhorn argues that our interest in nostalgia should be to understand feminist temporalities, and in particular the specific context in which we experience such nostalgia. Accordingly, this article takes up the idea that neoliberalism and populism, which have given rise to both neoliberal feminism and femonationalism, have produced a series of contestations regarding the purpose and nature of feminist politics, as expressed by white popular feminism in the United Kingdom. This article examines two dimensions of feminist nostalgia: first, nostalgia for a more radical form of feminist politics – one not co-opted by neoliberal forces, not individualistic and not centred around online activism; and second, a nostalgia for the idea of ‘sisterhood’ – a time before white feminists were called upon to engage with intersectionality or be inclusive of trans-women. We analyse these themes through analysis of white popular feminism produced in the United Kingdom between 2010 and 2020, cautioning against a feminist nostalgia which neglects to engage with the radical politics of intersectionality.

International Social Work and Social Welfare: Europe

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Social Model ◽  
Far Right ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Electoral Support ◽  
Political Impact ◽  
The Eu

Europe includes not only some of the most economically and socially developed countries in the world but also some of the poorest. Social work as a profession has been well established for over 100 years within a variety of social welfare models; the countries in Central and Eastern Europe have re-established social work since the 1990s. The financial crisis of 2007/2008 and its aftermath, followed by the challenges of migration from war zones and Africa, have had a significant impact on the politics and social policy of the region and the resources available for social services and social work in most countries. These events are provoking a re-evaluation of the European Social Model. Some argue that they have also fueled the rise in electoral support for far right, nationalist, anti-immigration, and populist parties, seen also in other continents. The decision of the United Kingdom to break away from the EU, following a referendum in 2016, and the increase in support for anti-EU parties in other countries are having a profound social and political impact across the region.

2. Constitutional Nature

2021 ◽  
pp. 41-72
Author(s):  
Robert Schütze
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
United Nations ◽  
International Organization ◽  
Political Organization ◽  
State Sovereignty ◽  
Nation State ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Us ◽  
Conceptual Distinction

This chapter discusses the nature of the European Union, presenting two opposing ‘federal’ traditions that have been competing with each other over the past 200 years. It begins by introducing the US federal tradition, which has historically understood a Union of States as a third form of political organization between international and national law. The chapter then moves to the newer German federal tradition. Insisting on the indivisibility of sovereignty, this second tradition ultimately led to the following conceptual distinction: a ‘Union of States’ is either an international organization—like the United Nations—or a nation State—like Germany or the United Kingdom. Finally, the chapter applies both theories to the European Union. From the perspective of the older US tradition, the European Union can be seen as a Federation of States. The German tradition, by contrast, reduces it to a (special) international organization. Which is the better theory here? If legal theories are meant to explain legal practice, one sees that the second theory—insisting on the idea of State sovereignty—runs into serious explanatory difficulties and should consequently be discarded. The European Union is indeed best understood as a ‘Federation of States’.

Is Legal Mobilization for the Birds? Legal Opportunity Structures and Environmental Nongovernmental Organizations in the United Kingdom, France, Finland, and Italy

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Vanhala
Keyword(s):  
Nongovernmental Organization ◽  
Legal Mobilization ◽  
Environmental Groups ◽  
Opportunity Structures ◽  
Environmental Ngos ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Environmental Nongovernmental Organizations ◽  
National Environmental

What explains the likelihood that a nongovernmental organization (NGO) will turn to the courts to pursue their policy goals? This article explores the factors that influence the mobilization of law by environmental NGOs in four Western European countries. It finds that explanations focused on legal opportunity structures are unable to account for the patterns of within-country variation in legal mobilization behavior. The research also shows that bird protection NGOs as well as home-grown national environmental NGOs are generally more likely to turn to law than transnational environmental groups. Although resources and legal opportunities clearly matter to some extent, the author suggests—drawing on sociological institutionalist theory—that explanations of NGO legal mobilization should (a) incorporate an understanding of how groups frame and interpret the idea of “the law” and (b) explore the role of “strategy entrepreneurs” who promote the use of particular tactics within an organization.

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