The World White Web

The World White Web examines different factions of far-right extremists' recruitment strategies to assess the role technology plays in accelerating radicalisation processes. It focusses on internet memes which are considered among the most powerful, recognisable, and influential images of the modern era, meme culture being both a creative and collective cultural practice. It offers a distinct interdisciplinary investigation combining criminology, history, and computer science to analyse the relationship between technology, imagery, and far-right radicalisation, and examine the importance of imagery in developing more integrated and influential research into what draws people into extremism. The book draws on non-participatory observation of online spaces and a semiotic and thematic analysis of 20,000 far-right images across r a three-year period: 2019-2021. It focusses on four events including: the aftermath of the Christchurch attack in New Zealand, the three months following the global Black Lives Matter protests, the months following the Coronavirus lockdown measures and mask-wearing mandates issued in the US, UK, Australia and Canada, and the lead-up to and aftermath of the 2020 American Presidential election. Overall, this book considers the ways in which history, technology, and socio-political factors not only influence how racism operates, but also how various aspects are selectively moulded, presented, and suppressed within public and political discourse.