Volume 71 (2023), Edition 3-4

Telegram has become a relevant pillar of the political public sphere in recent years. The instant messaging service supports both interpersonal exchange and the distribution of information to almost any size of audience. At the same time, it has so...

Crafted as an open communication platform characterized by high anonymity and minimal moderation, Telegram has garnered increasing popularity among activists operating within repressive political contexts, as well as among political extremists and...

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to an “infodemic” characterized by the widespread dissemination of conspiracy theories and calls for resistance against measures to combat the virus. Despite increased academic attention’s focus on...

This article analyses how Telegram channels, whose content emotionalizes, polarizes, and disinforms, are structured. We assume that state-skeptical counter-publics are communicatively formed on Telegram, and that these can be reconstructed as a...

In our paper, we use the Identitarian Movement as an example to investigate the effects of deplatforming – blocking actors on social networks – on the online communication of politically right-wing or far-right actors. Using quantitative content...

Social media platforms play a pivotal role in contemporary mobilization efforts for demonstrations. Telegram, in particular, offers a multitude of technological advantages for co-ordinating protests. The German „Querdenken“ movement has embraced...

In the course of the Covid 19 pandemic and building on conspiracy theories, a strong far right mobilization and radicalization has been observed, which crossed existing milieus and brought known right-wingers and previously politically inactive...

This article analyses the online strategies of Volkish Settlers who settle in far-right “folk communities” in rural Germany. By analyzing the LEISNIG.info Telegram channel, this article shows how ethnic settlers attempt to influence local...