The digital revolution is transforming ideological extremism in ways that make extremist ideas more widely accessible, visible, and potentially more relatable and palatable. Yet, digital technologies are also an indispensable part of the solution to what is emerging as a growing problem for liberal democracy.

Technology like social media platforms, algorithms, and smartphones contribute to the mainstreaming of fringe ideologies and enable increased ideological fervour. In fact, Mike Burgess, Director-General of Australia’s Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), describes the internet as “the world’s single most potent and powerful incubator of extremism.” In short, digital technology can function as a “force multiplier” of ideological extremism.

What is ideological extremism?

Ideological extremism describes ideologies that challenge dominant, mainstream beliefs and values. Currently, the term tends to denote zealous opposition to liberal democratic norms, practices, and values which define the socio-political culture in Australia and other Western nations. By opposing the fundamental core of a state’s political culture, ideological extremism has the potential to erode social cohesion and liberal democracy.

But the risks go beyond this, and extremist ideologies shared online may lead to offline violence. The national intelligence community has long been cognisant of the risks of ideological extremism, but the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) only recently adopted the term, “ideologically motivated violent extremism” to refer to ideological threats to Australia’s national security. It is an overarching term that could apply to ideologies across the political spectrum, but, in practice, it largely pertains to right-wing extremism. Given the ideational and physical threats extremism poses, it’s imperative to understand how digital technologies might enable extremist ideologies to proliferate, so that we can use, design, and regulate the online space in ways that offset ideological extremism.

How does digital technology empower ideological extremism?

Digitisation enables extremist ideologies to spread further and faster than before. Unprecedented levels of interconnectivity linking internet users around the world means that ideological extremism can rapidly spread across geographical divides. Far-right memes such as Pepe the frog have gone global, and white supremacist social media users across the world share a common vernacular that supports the formation of extremist identities. It is therefore easier than ever to connect with like-minded people and consolidate extremist identities.

Despite mainstream social media platforms’ efforts to “cut off the oxygen” of ideological extremism, the tighter content moderation has forced extremist users to other platforms. In particular, deplatforming – removing offensive accounts – has stimulated the rise of “alt-tech” and fringe platforms. In contrast to mainstream social media services such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, alt-tech services like Gab, Bitchute, and Discord tend to reject stringent content moderation. They enshrine free speech, even if this means discriminatory or hate speech. Alt-tech therefore enables extremist users to congregate and communicate virtually unencumbered.

Social media, especially alt-tech platforms, may produce information-limiting environments, trapping users into networks of individuals sharing similar beliefs. Users within these so-called communities can become cut off from the wider population – at least, online. This is dubbed the “echo-chamber effect.” Research shows that echo chambers can facilitate ideological extremism through strengthening group identities and increasing political polarisation.

And, thanks to portable devices with internet connectivity, it’s now easy to access extremist content from anywhere. It is possible to hop onto your smartphone during your morning commute and browse through extremist posts – many of which are publicly available on the Clearnet and simple to find.  Sometimes, you don’t even need to search for it. Depending on what you’ve viewed, liked, or commented on before, algorithms can influence what you see through promoting content determined to be relevant for you. This means that someone with moderate views could quickly be exposed to more extremist material in a matter of clicks.

Digitisation can also be exploited to make extremist ideologies seem more palatable to mainstream content consumers. Soft gateways into extremist ideologies abound online: memes, videos, slogans, and podcasts transmit short, simple messages. Often, links between different platforms are used to transmit content between mainstream and alternative platforms in ways that evade content moderation. This encourages mainstream social media users to follow links to more extreme pockets of the internet. Meanwhile, on alternative platforms, sharing mainstream news media can have a mainstreaming effect wherein “legitimate” news is transformed into evidence for extremist positions on issues such as immigration, climate, and security.

Does digitisation always support ideological extremism?  

However, digitisation isn’t inherently predisposed to support ideological extremism. It comes down to how humans use digital technologies. For example, although deplatforming can potentially facilitate ideological extremism by pushing extremist ideologies into more fringe parts of the internet, it might limit users’ initial exposure to extremist ideologies online. Likewise, while algorithms can lead users to more extremist content, they can also direct users away from it.

Social media can also bring ideological extremism out into the open before it erupts in violence. Although mass acts of ideologically motivated violence, such as the Christchurch mosque attacks and the Buffalo shootings, indicate that this is not always the case, law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and researchers now have a more accessible window into the ideologies. This provides them with more low-risk opportunities to understand what the ideologies are and how they spread.

Despite the risks that extremist ideologies pose for liberal democracies, the online public sphere that emerges from social media can be beneficial for democracy. In allowing extremist views to circulate widely online, it’s possible to engage with them as part of a peaceful contestation of ideas – a pivotal component of a vibrant liberal democracy. Therefore, while digitisation has indeed empowered ideological extremism, digital technologies are clearly a pivotal part of the solution moving forward.

Dr Melissa-Ellen Dowling is a Senior Research Fellow in digital technology, security, and governance at the Jeff Bleich Centre, Flinders University. Twitter: @DrMelissaEllen

This article is published under a Creative Commons License and may be republished with attribution.