Jennifer R. Howe

PhD Candidate @warstudies @kingscollegelon | Researcher @UKHouseofLords | Fmr WPS Fellow | genocide, extremism, disinformation, gender

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

Feels like time to go now👋 please follow me on Bluesky @jenniferrhowe.bsky.social

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

KaabOmeir et al. here: https://t.co/eT9sFE1eQy
Yang et al.: https://t.co/Jbs3Pd8LkF
Shin et al here: https://t.co/SGIgWNabBX

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

It’s been a little while, but here are three recent pieces of academic disinformation & extremism research, a 🧵

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

3/ Shin et al. studied TikTok's algorithm in an experimental study, confirming it pushes users towards extremist content as their feed becomes increasingly personalised

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

I have used only a handful examples here - this narrative is used frequently through history, showing just how important gender is to understanding the dynamics of political violence

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

But the narrative also appeals to women – they may sign up for a violent entity due to fears for their communities and fears that they themselves will be subject to this kind of violence.

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

So why does this narrative appeal so much? First, it can be a way of shaming men into joining violent entities. Second, even if they do not believe in this narrative initially, some perpetrators may use it to justify their involvement in retrospect (like in Nazi Germany)

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

We have letters from men who engaged in the Holocaust justifying their involvement by arguing their role was protecting the women and children of Germany.

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

that they "threatened" women and children. My archival research found that the Khmer Rouge (responsible for the Cambodian Genocide, 1975-9) promoted official propaganda about their enemies murdering and abusing women and children.

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

This tactic has been used by far-right groups in Europe for years, including by far-right groups in Germany after the 2016 Munich attacks, who used these to portray immigration as threatening. Long before that, the KKK justified violence against men from outgroups on the basis

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

There’s been a lot of discussion around the recent UK riots, but very little has been said about the importance of gendered narratives in this violence; violent entities have frequently capitalised on men’s traditional roles as protectors of women and children,🧵

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

Murphy et al. here:
https://t.co/qWrUAuD5Kp

Mont’Alverne et al. here: https://t.co/jM0RkKsygo

Suing here: https://t.co/enrDZOuzx8

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

Another quick overview of recent academic research on #disinformation #fake news #conspiracies

[Jennifer R. Howe @JenniferRHowe1]

3) Suing's study on Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru shows many surveyed agree that misinformation causes distrust in democracy and elections. Suing emphasises the need for a comprehensive approach to address misinformation, using social media regulation and media literacy