Yesterday I had an op-ed published in The Scotsman. In ‘Social media isn’t solely to blame for rise of far-right’, I argue for a holistic approach. It’s too easy to pin the blame solely on online platforms that amplify hate and misinformation. Politicians need to dial down the rhetoric on issues like immigration. It’s time to focus on why right-wing extremism resonates with young people rather than solely blame social media algorithms.
Many thanks to Charlotte Morris for helping arrange this. It can be read in full here.
Debate on social media and crisis communication, UNOCHA HNPW, 21 March
Next Friday (21 March) I will be an invited participant in a debate on social media and crisis communication. This event is organised by Asad Tahir from the University of Leicester and the Avoidable Deaths Network. It is part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) #HumanitarianWeek.
Jamie Wardman (University of Leicester), Christian Morgner (University of Sheffield), and I will explore the opportunities of using online platforms. We will also evaluate the challenges that arise during crisis situations.
A synopsis of the event is below:
The objectives of this session include: 1) To maximize the visibility of crisis communication as an anticipatory action for reducing avoidable deaths by employing effective and proactive communication strategies; 2) To enhance awareness about avoidable disaster deaths among the audience as well as the organizers. The innovative idea of an engaging debate offers a unique opportunity for the audience and the organizers to learn from each other; 3) To provide a vibrant platform for communication experts, crisis leaders, NGOs, students, academics and researchers to share their informed insights about disaster deaths and crisis communication; 4) To discuss and deliberate about the scope and significance of crisis communication as an effective component of crisis preparedness to significantly reduce the number of avoidable deaths and people affected by disasters by 2030; 5) It is pertinent to highlight that ADN is part of the Sendai Framework’s Voluntary Commitments (SFVC) Platform. Our Voluntary Commitments to the UNDRR are inked until 2030, especially focusing on the first two targets of the Sendai Framework. Therefore, this session promises an opportunity to not only manifest our commitments to the UNDRR but also maximize the visibility of our continued endeavors at the UNOCHA’s Summit in Geneva; and 6) Above all, this interesting and innovative debate seeks to promote awareness and enhance knowledge about the theory and practice related to avoidable deaths and crisis communication strategies as an effective tool for crisis preparedness
There is still time to register for this event here
Invited public lecture at European University Rotterdam, 18 February 2025
This week I am delighted to be an academic visitor at the European University Rotterdam. During this trip, I will deliver a public lecture entitled ‘From Doomscrolling to Activism/Action’. Chaired by Dr. Delia Dumitrica (EUR), activist and researcher Chris Julien and I will discuss the future of Digital Activism. We will explore this topic in an increasingly fragmented world. I will discuss the key findings from my book Digital Contention in a Divided Society (Manchester University Press, 2024).
A description of the event is below:
Do you know the feeling? Climate change, ongoing wars, rising hostilities. The world appears to be on fire and more polarized than ever, and it seems almost impossible to do something about it. How do we break this helpless feeling of despair? How can online feelings of empathy and care translate into real world action? And what is necessary for discontent to become successful political movements?
The event is co-organised by Delia and Lenya Slierendrecht from Studium Generale. It will be held at CB-4 (Theil Basement), European University of Rotterdam. The event timing is from 19:30 to 21:00 CET.
If you are in Rotterdam tomorrow (18 February), there is still time to register to this free event here.
Many thanks to Delia and Lena for the invite- should be a great discussion!
I was interviewed by Anna Desmarais for an article. It was published by Euronews on the future of TikTok under the Trump administration. I argued that tech ‘broligarchs’ like Elon Musk lack accountability when they decide what is ‘free speech’ or not. Their influence on public discourse presents a threat to democratic values. This is particularly concerning given their ability to censor content they disagree with.
Thanks to Anna for the interview, it can be read in full here.
BBC Breakfast interview on social media content moderation
This week I was interviewed by BBC Tech editor Zoe Kleinman. It was for a piece on the human cost of social media content moderation. We discussed whether it was possible for AI to replicate the job done by human moderators. I argued that human moderation was necessary, but that these jobs are very harmful to those who do them.
The clip can be viewed below.
I also contributed to this article exploring the human costs of moderating traumatic images and videos.
Many thanks to Zoe, Georgina and the BBC crew for the chat, and to Charlotte Morris for helping organise this.
I have written an essay for the Glasgow Social Sciences Hub. My essay discusses why social media is an unreliable barometer of public opinion. I argue that bot activity and manipulation gave US voters a skewed reality. This happened in the run-up to the 2024 US Presidential Election. I also point to the problem of information pollution and how citizens actively avoid news on these platforms.
Thanks to Charlotte Morris for the support in getting this out. The piece can be read in full here.
Donald Trump criticised for spreading misinformation about Hurricane Hélène
Last week I spoke to Sebastian Seibt from France 24. We talked about how neo-Nazi groups were using Hurricane Hélène. They aimed to show themselves as civil society actors, amplifying misinformation and conspiracy theories about the relief efforts favouring migrants.
I argued that the misinformation spread by US Presidential candidate Donald Trump was very damaging. His false claims about the Biden administration not supporting victims influenced the behavior of vulnerable citizens. They were more likely to turn to extremist groups like Patriotic Front for information and support than the authorities. In effect, they exploited this crisis to rebrand themselves as legitimate, credible actors.
Last week, Andy Bruce interviewed me. This was for a Reuters piece on the number of British police forces deciding to remove their Twitter/X accounts. I argued that the rise of hate speech, extremist content, and misinformation was a major factor. This led public organisations to leave the microblogging site for other platforms.
Thanks to Andy and Charlotte Morris for the invite. The article can be read in full here.
I am delighted to share a preprint copy of my entry in the forthcoming Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Communication, to be published in 2025.
In ‘Belief Echoes’, I explore how and why people continue to believe false information even when it has been debunked or factchecked. I draw on examples from my own research on Northern Ireland and the COVID-19 pandemic to show how there is often a small proportion of the population who continue to remain within epistemic bunkers revolving around misinformation and half-truths.
Many thanks to the editors (Alessandro Nai, Max Grömping, and Dominique Wirz) for all their work bringing together the 430+ entries (from 570+ authors) in the Encyclopedia. I look forward to reading the final version when it’s out early next year.
The preprint version of my entry can be read here.
“The book enables a wide range of readers – academic scholars and researchers, but also citizens and activists – to grasp the relevance of contentious politics and how these are articulated and disputed in the digital era, especially in our increasingly datafied social world”
“This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the context of NI as a divided society, understanding the recent history of local protests and disputes (between 2012-2015) and the wider scene of the relations between NI, Ireland, and the UK”
“Overall, this book offers valuable and detailed insights into the ways that digital media shape and fuel contentious politics, social mobilisation and citizenship. It shows how online platforms can impact polarised societies negatively, by reproducing prejudice and hate speech, but also positively by managing inter-group tensions, avoiding violence and social unrest, and providing informal learning”
“This work can help academics, activists, political and media experts, as well as the general public evaluate the occurrence of disputable events, such as protests and demonstration parades, within profoundly fragmented contexts like NI particularly in the face of rising mis- and dis-information in the digital age”
I am very grateful to Penny for such a thoughtful review of the book, which can be read in full here
Dr Paul Reilly 