Beyond the Hate-Filled Pixels: Exploring Everyday Realities in "Extreme" Virtual Spaces

Abstract

In the dynamic exploration of extreme and radical virtual spaces, our panel embarks on a journey to uncover the intricacies that define the softer side of counterpublics. Beyond the commonly highlighted hate-filled narratives within online extremism research, the panel endeavours to reveal the technocultural traces and everyday communications, experiences, and emotions that weave the intricate tapestry of these virtual spaces. Importantly, this approach signifies more than a mere inquiry; it embraces a paradigm shift in the ways in which we study extremism, radicalism, and counter-mainstream cultures in the digital age—a shift that embraces the complexity of narratives and communities, exploring different aspects and layers of belonging and negotiating identity in hostile and extremist communities. We aim to provide a potential starting point in analysing these features across different, but comparable, groups, and examining their commonalities. Each presentation contributes to a broader understanding of the nuances shaping the world of online counterpublics (in their many forms). These topics include: discussions of grievances and needs in conspiracy narratives and their associated communities; the role of visuals and aesthetics in far-right men's health and fitness subcultures; a comparative analysis of the far-right’s alternative technology movement and its projected value system(s); an exploration of the role of far-right victimhood narratives in defining the boundaries of the ingroup; and the way incels negotiate identity, online content, and offline worldview. The subsequent findings showcase the pivotal role of community and identity for these radical and extreme virtual spaces, where the search for belonging often supersedes or predates adoption of any particular ideology. Rather, it is the everyday online interactions and the "softer side" to counterpublic communications which researchers should pay better attention to.

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