Signs of the Right : Scandinavian Right-Wing Extremism on Social Media

Abstract

Right-wing extremism is increasingly becoming a threat to the progressive values of Western democracies. The far right, like the rest of society, seems to have moved much of its activity to digital spaces over the last decade. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok host a wealth of far-right content posted by right-wing extremists around the world. This is also the case in Scandinavia. Organizations such as the Scandinavian Nordic Resistance Movement and the Norwegian SIAN (Stopp islamiseringen av Norge) are both groups that actively seek to spread far-right ideology through social media channels. Tonje Carlsen aims to shed light on far-right activities in Norway and Sweden, with a particular focus on their social media activities and the semiotics applied in respective contributions there. It examines various trends in the content posted, where it is posted and for what purpose. The work seeks to understand how the Norwegian and Swedish extreme right circumvents the social media »rules« set by platform moderators and other users. What kind of content do they post? In what ways do they use social media to express their concerns? What does the radicalization process look like on social media? And how do other users react to this content? These are some of the questions this book seeks to answer using specific examples on different platforms.