"What explains the meteoric rise in visibility of fringe elements in mainstream societal discourse during the first decades of the 21st century? Events like the Capitol Insurrection of January 6, 2021 and developments like the surge of medical skepticismduring the global pandemic have produced great scrutiny on the challenge of extreme rhetoric in global society, with great attention paid to enabling role of the Internet. But what is it exactly that the Internet has enabled? This book describes the emergence of a condition of "leaderlessness" as the default format of subversive activity in digital age. "Leaderlessness" is a phenomenon brought about by the rise of Web 2.0 and is characterized by an evolving and uneven feedback loop that links fringe spaces to mainstream elite rhetoric and popular discourse. Cult-like conditions in conspiratorial, restrictive virtual spaces simplify, standardize and amplify extreme narratives. These narratives are then rapidly filtered into mainstream settings thanks to aseries of socio-technological conditions present in the Web 2.0 era. Fringe narratives and symbols thus often become the lens through which social and political elites interpret information and find meaning, which they then spread through public speech. This public speech is then projected back to subversive spaces and communities. Unfortunately, elites are limited in their ability to impact subversive narratives and control fringe advocacy in turn. The result is stark: a global information ecosystem in which actors and issues in society are given meaning by fringe discourse and then used to activate dispersed and disaggregated populations"--
Why are conspiracy theories, extremist rhetoric, and acts of antagonism by fringe elements of society so much more visible today than in years past? The Capitol Insurrection of January 6, 2021, and the surge of medical skepticism during the global COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the challenge of extreme rhetoric in global society, with increasing attention paid to the enabling role of the Internet. But beyond the ways in which the Internet allows for connection, how do fringe ideas travel into the mainstream to become more significant movements?
In Subversion 2.0, Christopher Whyte describes the transformation of societal subversion in the digital age. Whyte makes the case that "leaderlessness"--characterized by an evolving and uneven feedback loop linking fringe spaces to mainstream elite rhetoric and popular discourse--has emerged in recent years as the default format of subversive activity. Through case explorations and novel data, Whyte shows how extreme narratives that originate in conspiratorial, restrictive virtual spaces are rapidly filtered into mainstream settings due to a series of socio-technological conditions present in the Web 2.0 era. As a result, fringe narratives and symbols often become the lens through which social and political elites interpret information that they then spread through public speech, which is projected back to subversive spaces and used to perpetuate fringe narratives.
By examining the uneven feedback loop of leaderlessness, Whyte argues that social Internet platforms act as a vehicle for transmitting and amplifying extreme rhetoric but often fail to moderate extremism in turn. He ultimately shows how societal subversion, an activity that is about degrading existing power structures without directly attacking them, has taken on a new, dynamic form in the digital age.
Why are conspiracy theories, extremist rhetoric, and acts of antagonism by fringe elements of society so much more visible today than in years past? In Subversion 2.0, Christopher Whyte makes the case that "leaderlessness"--characterized by an evolving and uneven feedback loop linking fringe spaces to mainstream elite rhetoric and popular discourse--has emerged as the default format of subversive activity in the digital age. By examining the uneven feedback loop of leaderlessness, Whyte argues that social Internet platforms act as a vehicle for transmitting and amplifying extreme rhetoric but often fail to moderate extremism in turn.
