May 18, 2022 | Tortoise

Gaming-adjacent platforms: a gateway to extremism?

In the wake of the Buffalo mass shooting, it has been revealed that the shooter previously left details of his plans on Discord and used Twitch to livestream the attack.

ISD’s Jacob Davey spoke to Tortoise about findings from ISD’s Gaming and Extremism series.

Jacob said he “hesitates to make a direct tie to the act of gaming itself”. However, platforms that work to complement gaming like Twitch and Discord, show “a concerning trend towards becoming involved in white supremacy and terrorism”.

“The problem is the co-opting and adapting of incredibly viral youth internet culture [and] the illusion that this is a fringe part of the internet. It’s not fringe. It’s a big part of how people conduct themselves online.”

 

 March 21, 2023 | VICE News

Incel and extremist content, just a search away on TikTok

ISD's Tim Squirrell and Ciarán O'Connor spoke to VICE News about the little that has changed regarding incel content on TikTok in the last two years, and just how easy it is for users to come across this content.