Right-Wing and Right-Wing-Populist Organizations in the Networked Public Spheres in Germany and the United States of America
Final Report Abstract
The DFG Research Fellowship had several key findings that contributed to what we know about how the U.S. and German far-right uses the internet and, in addition, how algorithms contribute to the formation of far-right of so-called “filter bubbles”, i.e. isolated online communities. These results will be presented in the book “Like, subscribe, radicalize”. 1. Strategic usage of social media: Far-right actors are very conscious in their usage of social media platforms like Facebook or YouTube. This means that they will make use of the affordances of each platforms: for example connecting each other through page likes on Facebook or commenting on YouTube videos. In doing so they establish far-right counterpublics that will often center around alternative media outlets that often disseminate problematic content like conspiracy theories. The far-right will often try to game trending algorithms and piggyback on popular hashtags to make their voices heard. 2. International actors: An important part of both the U.S. as well as the German far-right are international actors. This can be RT, Sputnik News, Epoch Times as well as Wikileaks or farright media YouTube personalities. Platforms like YouTube are thus giving far-right actors the opportunity to reach an even bigger audience when talking in English and contribute to the creation of transnational far-right “elites.” 3. Bridging the international divides: The U.S. and German far-right spheres are, nevertheless, still mostly domestic and the international actors, albeit prominent, are usually the exception to the rule. And while some topics may cross the Atlantic, this usual happens on an individual level and not systemically. 4. Far-right filter bubbles: The project shows that YouTube’s recommendation algorithm contributes to the formation of filter bubbles in both the U.S. as well as Germany. By treating politics as any other topic, YouTube thus might push users down the far-right rabbit hole and contribute to a potential radicalization. These findings have resulted in international media coverage in outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, NBC News, BuzzFeed News, Motherboard Vice, SüddeutscheZeitung, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, and die tageszeitung.
Publications
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(2019) Integrating Concepts of Counterpublics into Generalised Public Sphere Frameworks: Contemporary Transformations in Radical Forms. Javnost - The Public 26 (3) 241–257
Kaiser, Jonas; Rauchfleisch, Adrian
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(2018). Building Bridges with Breitbart: A Topic Model Analysis of Online Media Coverage During the US Presidential Election 2016. ICA 2018, Prague, Czech Republic
Kaiser, J., Rauchfleisch, A. & Bourassa, N.
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(2018). Three shades of awful: The German right-wing counterpublic on YouTube. ICA 2018, Prague, Czech Republic
Rauchfleisch, A. & Kaiser, J.
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(2019). The road to hell is paved with good algorithms: Filter bubbles on YouTube in the United States and in Germany. ICA 2019, Washington D.C., USA
Kaiser, J. & Rauchfleisch, A.
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In the heartland of climate skepticism: The connection between German climate skeptics and the US right-wing. In B. Forchtner (Ed.), The Far Right and the Environment: Politics, Discourse and Communication. New York, NY: Routledge, 2019. S. 257-274.
Kaiser, J.
