We participate at VI Convegno Nazionale SISCC “Possiamo ancora capire la società. Comprensione, previsione, critica.” / Roma, 20-21 giugno 2024 with the paper: Incivility at the margins: studying the impact of fringe practices and platforms on the public debate
Incivility at the margins: studying the impact of fringe practices and platforms on the public debate
The contemporary digital platform landscape is marked by an intricate mix of public, semi-public, and private spaces. These spaces vary in terms of visibility, regulation, and audiences, yet they are interconnected through mutual migration dynamics between fringe and mainstream environments. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for comprehending the current deterioration of the debate and the surge in political incivility. Such processes are enhanced by citizens’ participation in online alternative or “fringe” platforms, which have been correlated with disinformation ecosystems, the spread of conspiracy myths and the normalization of populist thinking and political extremism (Schwarzenegger, 2022). Recent literature has shown how there is an interdependent relationship between the rise of alternative online spaces and the growth in far-right forms of extremism (Holt, 2018; Walther & McCoy, 2021), thus stressing a rising concern that “secluded online spaces can function as laboratories that develop extremist talking points that then find entry into the mainstream” (Lewandowsky et al., 2020, p.84). At the same time, these spaces “provide voices to marginalized and disadvantaged communities” (ibid.), so they can also represent new resources for public debate.
This paper lays out the theoretical and methodological foundations of the CORIT research project, funded by the Next Generation EU Program. The project focuses on the development of fringe narratives, groups and patterned actions with the capacity to “intoxicate” the Italian hybrid media system. In more specific terms, we will outline the key conceptual, technical, and ethical considerations in the study of the Italian Telegramsphere. This includes an examination of its influence on mainstream discussion platforms, along with its dynamics that indicate a shift towards fringe platforms and communities.
Since its inception in 2013, Telegram has positioned itself as an ideal space for individuals seeking privacy and security—an affordance that appeals to those envisioning a free internet and those compelled to utilize such a space as the only secure means of coordination (Urman and Katz 2022). Telegram, in this sense, appears to be an optimal environment for tracking information and contexts where conspiracy narratives tend to thrive (Schulze et al. 2022, Herasimenka et al. 2022). Telegram channels have quickly become popular for alternative news broadcasting (Wijermars 2021), recruiting for extremist groups (Urman & Katz 2022), coordinating alt-right conspiracist groups (Walther and McCoy 2021), and, more broadly, spreading disinformation (Herasimenka et al. 2022). However, what remains unclear and lacks sufficient exploration is the relationship between such fringe spaces and cultures on Telegram and the more visible and mainstream web spaces, as well as legacy media. In other words, it is crucial to comprehend how practices and languages developed in fringe platforms extend beyond them, navigating between upstream and downstream dynamics (Gursky et al. 2022).
The paper relies on a scoping review and critical evaluation of sources collected via Scopus and Scholar around the key terms “fringe platform/social media/online spaces” and “deplatforming”. Expanding upon this review, the presentation has two primary objectives. Firstly, it seeks to explore how the academic literature construct the concept of “fringe” platforms, practices, and online groups, aiming to critically analyse how the imperative to characterize potentially dangerous behaviours has to confront with the risk of contributing to the othering of such groups. Secondly, the presentation will delve into the methodological considerations that arise in this field of study, particularly in relation to the examination of “below the radar” spaces (Boccia Artieri et al. 2021) and “unethical movements” (Törnberg and Törnberg 2024).
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