Young People, Socialisation, and the Online/Offline Interface: Exploring the Formation of 'Mixed' Extremist Ideologies

迄今为止，当代对极端主义的研究主要集中在暴力伊斯兰激进主义和极右翼激进化的模式上。这种研究突出了身份、归属、异化、边缘化和不平等等问题，认为这些问题是令人关切的问题。此外，生活的社会和环境背景和基于种族，民族，宗教和性别的排斥性话语也被发现是可能使人们倾向于采用有问题的观点的突出因素。然而，这项工作倾向于优先考虑导致极端主义观点形成的各种“驱动因素”，并集中于对暴行发生后已知或发现的肇事者的情况进行事后分析。尽管开展了这项工作，但对青年人极端主义观点形成的过程仍然研究不足。特别是，新形式的极端主义的存在，包括乱伦和厌恶女性驱动的暴力行为在流行的男性和“社交圈”的概念，以及“混合，不稳定和不明确的”意识形态的流行仍然相对未被探讨。这些人可能表现出多种意识形态的混合体，在不同的意识形态之间转换（不稳定），或者尽管没有连贯的意识形态（不清楚）但仍可能构成恐怖主义风险的人被分组在一起，两者之间可能的区别要么是倾斜的，要么是省略的。至关重要的是，社交媒体已成为个人和在线社区利用这一媒体宣传极端主义理想并吸引和激励志同道合的人。事实上，互联网无处不在和无孔不入的性质使社交媒体成为极端主义的传播促进者和倍增器，而在线和离线领域之间的结合日益模糊了真实的和虚拟世界之间的界限。然而，很少有人知道网上曝光和与材料的互动如何影响“现实世界”的行为，价值观和人际关系。本研究项目的目的就是挖掘这个空间。可以说，探索网络领域在形成极端主义观点方面的潜在影响力的一系列因素，以及这些因素如何促进和影响塑造年轻人个人经历和行为的社会化过程，对于了解走向极端主义的途径至关重要。通过与ConnectFutures建立的伙伴关系，该项目将直接与年轻人接触，并探讨他们对其线下和线上行为的看法，以便能够考虑“有毒”的在线环境在多大程度上使在线极端主义语言风格正常化，包括种族主义、伊斯兰恐惧症、同性恋恐惧症、性别歧视和厌女症。它将进一步探讨可能制定的教育战略，以抵制使年轻人倾向于有问题的态度和信念的过程。最终，这种方法可能提供一种理解如何抵制极端主义语言、信仰和态度正常化的方法。希望该项目的研究结果将有助于提高学术知识，促进对混合、不稳定和不明确的意识形态在助长极端主义观点方面的作用的理解，并为循证决策提供信息，并为参与与青年人打交道的人的专业参与做法的演变提供信息。

To date, contemporary research on extremism has largely focused on patterns of violent Islamist radicalism and Far-right radicalisation. Such research has highlighted issues of identity, belonging, alienation, marginalisation and inequality as being issues of concern. In addition, lived social and environmental contexts and exclusionary discourses based on race, ethnicity, religion and gender have also been found to be salient factors that may incline people toward adopting problematic viewpoints. This work has, however, tended to prioritise various 'drivers' that lead to the development of extremist views and has concentrated on post-hoc analyses of what is known - or uncovered - about perpetrators in the aftermath of atrocities.Despite this work, the processes underpinning the development of extremist views amongst young people remain under-researched. In particular, the presence of new forms of extremism including incels and misogynistic-driven violence within prevailing notions of masculinity and the 'manosphere', and the prevalence of 'mixed, unstable and unclear' ideologies remain relatively unexplored. These individuals, who may exhibit an amalgam of multiple ideologies (mixed), shift between different ideologies (unstable), or who may still pose a terrorism risk despite having no coherent ideology (unclear) are grouped together and the possible differences between is either oblique or elided.Crucially, social media has become a powerful mechanism for individuals and online communities who use this medium to propagate extremist ideals and attract and motivate like-minded individuals. Indeed, the ubiquitous and pervasive nature of the internet has enabled social media to become a communicative facilitator and multiplier of extremism, and the coalescence between the online and offline realms has increasingly blurred the boundaries between the real and the virtual worlds. Yet, little is known about how online exposure and interactions with material influences 'real-world' behaviours, values and interpersonal relationships. The purpose of this research project is to excavate this space. Arguably, exploring the range of factors underpinning the potential influence of online spheres in forming extremist views, and the way in which these factors contribute to, and impact upon the socialisation processes shaping individual experiences and behaviour(s) of young people, is crucial in understanding pathways into extremism.Via an established partnership with ConnectFutures, this project will directly engage with young people, and explore their perspectives on their offline and online behaviour(s), to enable a consideration of the extent to which 'toxic' online environments normalise online extremist linguistic styles including racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, sexism and misogyny. It will further explore the educative strategies that may be developed to counter processes inclining young people toward problematic attitudes and beliefs. Ultimately, this approach may afford one way of understanding how to counteract the normalisation of extremist language, beliefs and attitudes. It is hoped that the findings of this project will lead to enhanced academic knowledge, facilitate understandings of the role of mixed, unstable and unclear ideologies in fuelling extremist perspectives, and inform evidence-based policy making and the evolution of professional engagement practices for those involved in working with young people.