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To accentuate which platform characteristics particularly foster radicalization and extremist dynamics, this contribution investigates the affordances of social media as delineated in contemporary literature, conducting a platform comparison encompassing Telegram, WhatsApp, and X (formerly Twitter). Based on a scoping review, 17 affordances identified from studies researching radicalization dynamics on social media were extracted and categorized. The most frequently mentioned affordances—anonymity, visibility, and collectivity—were then further analyzed concerning their contribution to radicalization and the radicalization potential of these specific platforms. The platform-comparative affordance discussion shows that, although in principle each of the three compared platforms can foster an environment conducive to radicalization depending on user intention and context or use, the specific characteristics of each platform necessitate a nuanced consideration. On one hand, it is imperative to discern affordances differentially along various dimensions when assessing their implications (e.g., internal vs. external visibility). On the other hand, it is beneficial to consider which affordances emerge from the actualization of other affordances. For instance, collectivity can result from the interplay of several affordances, such as interactivity and anonymity, and can be referred to as a meta-affordance. Furthermore, the analysis shows that platform branding and self-presentation not only affect platform architecture and affordances but also shape users’ perceptions of the platform, thereby influencing the actualization of affordances. This was particularly noted in the literature for Telegram and increasingly for X. Specific assertions, nevertheless, are hindered by the conceptual diffusion of the affordance approach and a lack of empirical analyses directly and systematically examining platform affordances in conjunction with radicalization dynamics.

When being online, young users are often confronted with insulting, hateful, or misleading messages. To handle these dark forms of participation, it is essential to equip them with resources that support their social literacy in today’s complex online environments. In the present article, we deployed a previously established scale on self-perceived participatory-moral literacy and conducted a broad online survey study with 1,489 adolescents and young adults aged 16–22 years ( M = 19.74; SD = 1.65; 51% female) across eight different European countries (Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom). The results provided a configural identical model of participatory-moral abilities, motivation, and behavior across the considered European countries. We could confirm weak invariance, satisfactory psychometric qualities, and convergent validity of the scale across the different countries. Implications for digital literacy research are discussed.

Terror attacks are followed by public shock and disorientation. Previous research has found that people use social media to collectively negotiate responses, interpretations, and sense-making in the aftermath of terror attacks. However, the role of ideologically motivated discussions and their relevance to the overall discourse have not been studied. This paper addresses this gap and focuses specifically on the far-right discourse, comparing it to the general public Twitter discourse following the terror attack in Hanau in 2020. A multi-method approach combines network analysis and structural topic modelling to analyse 237,000 tweets. We find responsibility attribution to be one of the central themes: The general discourse primarily voiced sympathy with the victims and attributed responsibility for the attack to farright terror or activism. In contrast, the far right - in an attempt to reshape the general narrative - raised a plethora of arguments to shift the attribution of responsibility from far-right activism towards the (political) elite and the personal circumstances of the shooter. In terms of information sharing and seeking, we demonstrate that new information was contextualised differentially depending on the ideological stance. The results are situated in the scientific discourse concerning differences in social media communication ensuing terrorist attacks.

Wie Bürgerinnen und Bürger soziale Krisen wahrnehmen, wird stark von den Informationsquellen, die sie nutzen, und von ihren individuellen Eigenschaften beeinflusst. Diese wirken sich stark darauf aus, wie die erhaltenen Informationen verarbeitet und interpretiert werden. Dies dürfte auch für die COVID-19-Pandemie gelten, die Anfang 2020 die Welt zu erschüttern begann. Auf der Grundlage neuerer Forschungen zur politischen Kommunikation stellen wir die Hypothese auf, dass institutionelles Vertrauen in Medien, Politik und Wissenschaft sowie rechtspopulistische Einstellungen die Art und Weise beeinflussen, wie Menschen über diese Krise denken, die von der Politik auf der Grundlage wissenschaftlicher Expertise gemanagt und von verschiedenen Medien intensiv behandelt wurde. In diesem Beitrag wird daher der Frage nachgegangen, wie die Nutzung verschiedener Informationsquellen, das Vertrauen in diese Quellen und rechtspopulistische Einstellungen die Wahrnehmung der Schwere der COVID-19-Pandemie während der ersten Phase des ersten Lockdowns in Deutschland beeinflusst haben. Die Studie stützt sich auf Daten einer quantitativen Online-Quotenbefragung von Bundesbürgern und -bürgerinnen und kommt auf der Grundlage einer Segmentierungsanalyse zu dem Schluss, dass erstens bereits in den ersten Tagen der Pandemie Teile der Bevölkerung die Risiken der Pandemie entweder skeptisch sahen oder ganz leugneten, den wissenschaftlichen Konsens in Frage stellten und Maßnahmen zur Eindämmung der Pandemie ablehnten. Zweitens unterschieden sich die identifizierten Segmente neben rechtspopulistischen Einstellungen und mehreren anderen Faktoren erheblich in ihrem Vertrauen in traditionelle Medien, Politik und Wissenschaft als Informationsquellen. Wir diskutieren die Ergebnisse vor dem Hintergrund der Notwendigkeit, Vertrauen in Medien, Wissenschaft und Politik aufzubauen, zu erhalten und wiederherzustellen, um Krisenprävention, -kommunikation und -management zu ermöglichen.

The TEBOTS model predicts that narratives are sought after more often in times of depletion. The present study aimed at expanding this idea by testing whether engagement with narratives is also intensified under self-threatening conditions. Further, we examined whether narratives can serve coping functions. In a 3(Threat: mortality salience vs. ostracism vs. control condition) × 2(Review of the narrative: positive vs. negative) online experiment (N = 228), we tested whether self-threats and the expectation towards the narrative increase entertainment experiences and facilitate self-serving attributions. The results demonstrated that self-threats and a positive review indeed increased the entertainment experience. Narratives could support coping with an existential threat through enhancing self-serving attributions. The findings are discussed in light of the TEBOTS model and its application in the context of self-threats.

This editorial introduces the thematic issue on inspirational media; including its role in the elicitation of meaning and self-transcendence, audience responses to inspirational narratives, and the potential for inspirational media to be used for manipulative purposes. We first set the stage for the thematic issue by describing an organizing framework by Thrash and Elliot (2003) to study inspiration. We then situate the seven articles published in this thematic issue along the logic of different components of this framework, namely media content capable of invoking transcendence through emotions and excitatory responses, and a motivational impulse to act upon the ideas acquired from content. This thematic issue thereby highlights unique perspectives for understanding media’s ability to serve as the source of inspiration—be it for social benefit or detriment. Finally, we consider directions for future research on inspirational media.

Societal organizations aim at challenging online extremist messages by counterposing with different narratives such as alternative narratives (one-sided narrative) and counter-narratives (two-sided narratives). The current study examined which type of narrative is more efficient in changing attitudes accounting for narrative involvement and reactance regarding the narrative. We employed a 2(one-sided vs. two-sided narrative) × 2 (ease of identification vs. no ease of identification) between-subjects design (N = 405) using a controversial topic: the ongoing debate about how to deal with the number of refugees in Germany. We found an indirect effect of the narrative on attitude change. People who read the two-sided narrative showed less reactance. The smaller the reactance, the more they felt involved in the narrative, which, in turn led to more positive attitudes towards refugees. We discuss these findings regarding their theoretical contribution to create customized narratives challenging extremist messages.

Memes (z. B. in Form von Bildmakros) sind nicht nur Teil des alltäglichen Umgangs mit digitalen Medien, sie finden sich auch im Rahmen politisch rechter Online-Kommunikationspraxen wieder. Die Studie befasst sich im Rahmen einer Inhaltsanalyse von Memes, die von einer Meldestelle für Online-Hetze dokumentiert wurden, mit folgenden Fragen: Inwiefern zeigen die Memes zentrale Aspekte rechtsextremer Ideologien? Welchen thematischen Clustern lassen sich die Memes zuordnen? Inwiefern lassen sich Strategien des Mainstreamings erkennen, welche die Attraktivität und Anschlussfähigkeit der Inhalte erhöhen sollen? Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen, dass die Memes zentrale Elemente rechtsextremer Ideologien wie Bezüge zum (historischen) Nationalsozialismus, zu Antisemitismus und Rassismus aufweisen. Dabei lassen sie sich hinsichtlich ihrer zentralen visuellen Motive sowie der thematisierten Feindbilder gruppieren. Als wesentliche Mainstreaming-Strategie rechtsextremer Positionen findet sich insbesondere Humor.

Recent right-wing extremist terrorists were active in online fringe communities connected to the alt-right movement. Although these are commonly considered as distinctly hateful, racist, and misogynistic, the prevalence of hate speech in these communities has not been comprehensively investigated yet, particularly regarding more implicit and covert forms of hate. This study exploratively investigates the extent, nature, and clusters of different forms of hate speech in political fringe communities on Reddit , 4chan , and 8chan . To do so, a manual quantitative content analysis of user comments ( N = 6,000) was combined with an automated topic modeling approach. The findings of the study not only show that hate is prevalent in all three communities (24% of comments contained explicit or implicit hate speech), but also provide insights into common types of hate speech expression, targets, and differences between the studied communities.

Research has repeatedly demonstrated that the use of interactive media is associated with recovery experiences, suggesting that engaging with media can help people to alleviate stress and restore mental and physical resources. Video games, in particular, have been shown to fulfil various aspects of recovery, not least due to their ability to elicit feelings of mastery and control. However, little is known about the role of cognitive task demand (i.e., the amount of cognitive effort a task requires) in that process. Toward this end, our study aimed to investigate how cognitive task demand during gameplay affects users’ recovery experiences. Results of a laboratory experiment suggest that different dimensions of the recovery experiences seem to respond to different levels of cognitive task demand. While control experiences were highest under low cognitive task demand, there was no difference between groups regarding experiences of mastery and psychological detachment. Nevertheless, both gaming conditions outperformed the control condition regarding experiences of mastery and psychological detachment. Controlling for personal gaming experiences, relaxation was higher in the low cognitive task demand condition compared to the control condition. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for research on the multilayered recovery effects of interactive media.

The Internet creates a space in which hate, negativity and the derogation of certain individuals or social groups (e.g., homosexuals, migrants, or women) can be found in various facets-be it in hateful comments of single users under journalistic online articles or below YouTube videos, propagandistic messages of extremists, or populist speech of political parties. At the same time, the Internet can also empower voices against online hate. The articles in this special issue focus on this spectrum, providing new insights into hate and counter-voices in online media.

This article conceptually integrates research on the experience of nostalgia—defined as a predominantly positive, social, and past-oriented emotion—into the fold of video game research. We emphasize the role of nostalgia as an explanation for contemporary retro gaming trends, and suggest that nostalgia towards gaming events is a necessary area of research. To those ends, we broadly review existing literature on nostalgia before specifically focusing on media-induced nostalgia, and demonstrate how theoretical and empirical observations from this work can be applied to understand video game nostalgia. In particular, we argue that engaging in older gaming experiences indirectly (via memories) and even directly (via replaying or recreating experiences) elicits nostalgia, which in turn contributes to players' self-optimization and enhanced well-being. Moreover, as gamers and the medium mature together, nostalgic experiences with the medium are likely to become increasingly prevalent. The broad aim of this article is to offer future directions for research on video game nostalgia and provide a research agenda for research in this area.

Research on recovery from stress demonstrated that entertaining movies increase psychological detachment and relaxation. In addition, entertainment experiences foster feelings of vitality and thereby contribute to well-being. The current study tested whether movies can be beneficial after stressful situations in order to recover. Saliva cortisol was assessed to relate a physiological measure to experiences of recovery and vitality. In an experiment (N = 60), participants were stressed before they either watched a hedonic, a eudaimonic, or a calm, neutral movie. Results demonstrated that media stimuli amplify recovery experiences when they convey more entertainment experiences (hedonic and/or eudaimonic). Further, cortisol levels influenced vitality by enhancing energetic arousal and affect. These results are discussed regarding the interpretation of physiological indicators to study work strain.

The odds in stumbling over extremist material in the internet are high. Counter speech videos, such as those of the German campaign Begriffswelten Islam (Concepts of Islam; Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, 2015a) published on YouTube, offer alternative perspectives and democratic ideas to counteract extremist content. YouTube users may discuss these videos in the comment sections below the video. Yet, it remains open which topics these users bring up in their comments. Moreover, it is unknown how far user comments in this context may promote hate speech—the very opposite of what counter speeches intent to evoke. By applying a qualitative content analysis on a randomly selected sample of user comments, which appeared beneath the counter speech videos of Concepts of Islam, we found that comments dominated, which dealt with devaluating prejudices and stereotypes towards Muslims and/or Islam. However, we also discovered that users in a large scale discussed the content of the videos. Moreover, we identified user comments, which hint at hateful speech either in comments themselves or the discourse the comments are embedded in. Based on these results, we discuss implications for researchers, practitioners and security agencies.

The networked structure of the internet facilitates the dissemination of extremist messages and often makes removal impossible. Equipping media users with critical (preventive) skills appears a more promising strategy than trying to block any exposure to extremist messages. Although various prevention programs follow this approach, research on their impact and success is scarce. This contribution describes how prevention programs can benefit from systematic evaluation using the example of the CONTRA school program, which seeks to foster critical media literacy with regard to extremist online messages via three sub-dimensions: awareness, reflection, and empowerment. The feasibility, applicability and impact of methods and measures developed in the context of CONTRA were assessed using an innovative mixed method design. The contribution describes the scientific approach of the prevention program, outlines the results of the evaluation and extrapolates from this prevention program to the general question of best practices for prevention programs with a specific focus on the school context.

The perceived threat of extremist online propaganda has generated a need for countermeasures applicable to large audiences. The dissemination of videos designed to counter violent extremism (CVE videos) is widely discussed. These videos are often described as “counter-narratives,” implying that narrativity is a crucial factor for their effectiveness. Experimental research testing this assumption is rare and direct comparisons of narrativity effects between propaganda and CVE videos are lacking. To fill this gap, we conducted two experiments (one in a laboratory and one online) in which we confronted German participants with different religious affiliations and from various cultural backgrounds (NStudy 1 = 338 and NStudy 2 = 155) with Islamist extremist or right-wing extremist propaganda videos and with corresponding CVE videos. The results confirmed that narrativity (a) increases persuasive processing of propaganda and CVE videos, (b) fosters amplification intentions regarding these videos, and (c) increases attraction to extremists versus counter-activists. Thus, our studies highlight the crucial role of narrativity in both extremist propaganda and video-based CVE approaches.

Smartphones and other mobile devices have fundamentally changed patterns of Internet use in everyday life by making online access constantly available. The present paper offers a theoretical explication and empirical assessment of the concept of online vigilance, referring to users' permanent cognitive orientation towards online content and communication as well as their disposition to exploit these options constantly. Based on four studies, a validated and reliable self-report measure of online vigilance was developed. In combination, the results suggest that the Online Vigilance Scale (OVS) shows a stable factor structure in various contexts and user populations and provides future work in communication, psychology, and other social sciences with a new measure of the individual cognitive orientation towards ubiquitous online communication.

Internet gaming disorder is currently listed in the DSM—not in order to diagnose such a disorder but to encourage research to investigate this phenomenon. Even whether it is still questionable if Internet Gaming Disorder exists and can be judged as a form of addiction, problematic game play is already very well researched to cause problems in daily life. Approaches trying to predict problematic tendencies in digital game play have mainly focused on playing time as a diagnostic criterion. However, motives to engage in digital game play and obsessive passion for game play have also been found to predict problematic game play but have not yet been investigated together. The present study aims at (1) analyzing if obsessive passion can be distinguished from problematic game play as separate concepts, and (2) testing motives of game play, passion, and playing time for their predictive values for problematic tendencies. We found (N = 99 males, Age: M = 22.80, SD = 3.81) that obsessive passion can be conceptually separated from problematic game play. In addition, the results suggest that compared to solely playing time immersion as playing motive and obsessive passion have added predictive value for problematic game play. The implications focus on broadening the criteria in order to diagnose problematic playing.