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iHuman exec members Ros Williams and Kate Weiner invited  from Loyola University Chicago to speak to the  in Sociological Studies about her incredibly topical research on the online activity of US-based far-right groups. Indeed, it was the run up to the US election and the prominence of far-right discourse in the public and political discussion surrounding it that prompted us to invite her to speak. 35 colleagues came to listen to Julia’s talk, and we had a really rich conversation afterwards including questions about researcher well-being, the ethics and practices of social media research, and the links to be made between Julia’s US-based work and similar far-right activity in a European context.

Julia’s scholarship also speaks to interests of members across iHuman with her focus on the importance of imaginaries in the propagation of a specifically white and heteronormative future – and the use of visual meme content and an ‘aesthetics of trolling’ in this practice.  Below you can read the title and abstract of Julia’s paper. 

How Far Right Groups Exploit Online Platforms and Engage in Cultural Production 

By Dr. Julia R. DeCook, PhD

In the past five years, research and interest into the ways that far right extremists use online platforms have gained significant popularity. In particular, groups like the Proud Boys who were specifically signaled to by President Donald Trump during the first U.S. presidential debate ignited intense media scrutiny and public outcry – by telling this group to “stand back and stand by,” many scholars interpreted this message as not just a failure to denounce white supremacy, but an embrace of it and as an invitation for far right groups to engage in violence. But who are the Proud Boys, and what exactly do they represent? And more importantly, how do they use online platforms to recruit, mobilize, and build community? In this talk, Dr. Julia R. DeCook shares her research on extremist groups online, including the ways that the Proud Boys use platforms targeted towards youth like Instagram. She will discuss difficulties in examining cultural products like memes, how these groups persist despite attempts to ban them, and implications for researchers moving forward in examining infrastructures of hate.