Mainstream media use for far-right mobilisation on the alt-tech online platform Gab

Abstract

Far-right movements tend to have an ambivalent relationship with mainstream media. On the one hand, they often express animosity towards traditional media, accusing them of spreading ‘fake news’ and being part of a hostile conspiracy against ordinary (white) people. On the other hand, this often antagonist perception of the media does not stop far-right actors from using mainstream reporting for their ideological online messaging. This contradictory relationship is situated in a broader societal context shaped by, among other factors, widespread mistrust towards the media, an increasingly polarised media landscape and the recent proliferation of a hyper-partisan online media ecosystem at the far-right fringes. Against this contextual backdrop, this multimethod study analyses over 45,000 posts from Australian users of the far-right alt-tech online platform Gab to examine the use of mainstream media sources for their ideological messaging. This is complemented by a qualitative in-depth analysis of 298 posts that share mainstream media content, identifying posting patterns of incorporating or reframing mainstream media outputs that seek to communicate far-right ideologies within the ideologically charged online community on Gab.