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Lol they've always been on the internet, what is this article on about
I'm not so sure about "moved online". These folks heard of the Daily Stormer or not?
Online is where they've been, it's the seat of their power. It's how they branch out into things like Gamergate to make waves in the real world.
I think the point is that the resurgence in far-right violence experienced in the UK this summer is linked to them being allowed back onto major social media platforms, particularly Musk's decision to let Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and co back onto Twitter. The article points out that the far-right in the UK don't operate through a central organisation but instead rely on bombarding easily-influenced segments of the population with daily propaganda and misinformation as a means of radicalising them to take violent actions locally - that strategy depends on far-right figures having access to the mainstream platforms that their target audience can be found on.
I agree that is what the article is attempting to say. I'm not so sure if it is really true or particularly important though, and distracts from the actual problem. I disagree that their strategy relies on having access to mainstream platforms, I think the main purpose of their mainstream access is to try to influence our politics with their propaganda.
I don't think people get radicalized on twitter, they get radicalized on an individual basis at the grassroots level in more intimate communities, after doing their recruiting on a more one-on-one basis in places like niche, decentralized gaming communities.
I think the online bombardment is about laying the groundwork. If every day you're getting a torrent of fake news in your feed demonising immigrants and refugees to an exceptional degree and telling you that mainstream politicians and media are hiding these truths from you, it gradually warps your worldview until you're pliable to join in when your mate from work starts ranting about Muslims and then another guy down the pub who just got out of prison says he's going to a 'protest' about some incident involving an immigrant (fake news, but you don't know that) that popped up on all your Twitter feeds and he says the media aren't covering.
I've seen exactly the same happen with people I know in relation to Israel and Palestine - people who have always felt a reasonable and human sympathy for the Palestinians' awful plight then joining community WhatsApp groups, following certain Twitter accounts, and so on until six months later they're suddenly weirdly aware of which public figures or their partners are Jewish and you notice them using the word 'Zionist' in everyday speech (without, I suspect, actually knowing what one is) - all without them realising they're getting slowly radicalised.
Yes, you could say it's part of the priming process I suppose. I don't think it's core, though. Their power and presence pre-dates major social media, and does not require it. It's bonus on top, not a necessary part of their overall strategy, and thus removing it would not do any significant damage to their effectiveness.
I would point to the time they were not present on twitter, and right wing positions like Brexit still flourishing as an example of this.
They'll use whatever tool you give them, but it's like a hydra. Cutting off a head does nothing if the body is still sitting there, and the body is not on major social media. Those are all heads.
edit: I would also draw a distinction between what I'd call hard and soft bigotry. One is the useful idiots that aren't thinking about it very much. They're frustrating, but can be brought back around if approached with a measure of care. Their bigotry is not heartfelt regardless of how much they may repeat the various lines. They're more just participating in a social structure, and they're capable of abandoning it as readily as they picked it up. The real problem is the hard bigots, those that know what they're doing and concoct clever strategies to further their own ends.
Any time you see someone trying to couch some hidden bit of conspiracy theory into a more palatable package, you're seeing a hard bigot in training, someone honing their skills as they knowingly walk in the footsteps of Goebbels. A hydra head, sharpening their teeth. They came from somewhere, though, and that somewhere is the real problem. They are fully capable of outmaneuvering moderation techniques, unfortunately. They are very, very accustomed to being banned from places, and it does not overly slow them down.