Cultural Drivers of Radicalisation

UK/D5.1 Country Report June 2021

Abstract

This report analyses the cultural drivers of radicalization connected to the I-GAP index of the D.Rad project (injustice, grievance, alienation) by focusing on the relationship between media and radicalisation in the UK from a historical perspective related to the mainstream press and new online platforms. The report analyses contemporary radicalisation patterns and pathways in the UK, by focusing on the far-right agents of radicalisation with a particular analysis of visual and “ephemeral” drivers of radicalisation on digital platforms. The report identifies parallel discourse worlds on tabloid media, the official posts and profiles of far-right organisations, and the mundane online expression on social media platforms in the UK, which collectively reinforce notions of a shared idealised identity built on nostalgic re-interpretations of an imperial past. The report concentrates on TikTok radicalisation in the UK from a macro to micro perspective, first capturing radicalisation patterns and pathways on widespread hashtags, followed by a deeper analysis of the representation of five popular TikTok videos and their comment-sphere.