SINGAPORE: The 14-year-old student who was issued a restriction order in January highlights the worrying trend of self-radicalisation in Singapore. Buying into extremist ideologies propagated by Islamic State, he harboured aspirations to go overseas to fight for the group and die as a martyr.
Last year, another 14-year-old student was given a restriction order for subscribing to a “salad bar” of extremist ideologies, ranging from far-right to far-left ideas to misogyny, Islamic State beliefs and anti-semitism. The Internal Security Department also imposed its first restriction order on a female teenager. The girl, aged 15, aspired to marry a militant fighter and fight for the group in Syria.
These cases at home reflect a global phenomenon of young people subscribing to radical beliefs that go beyond religious extremism.
A subculture which is growing in popularity, particularly among male youths, is the manosphere – a loose but interconnected network of online communities united by the perception that men are victims of modern feminist society.
The unsettling reality is that young people cannot be fully shielded from harmful influences online. What can we learn from extremist internet communities, and what can we do to inoculate youth against dangerous ideals and narratives?
At the key stage of identity and social development, youth are susceptible to narratives that frame personal and societal problems through injustice and misogyny.
According to Educate Against Hate, an online portal set up by the UK government, children from all types of backgrounds can become radicalised. Those who are more vulnerable tend to struggle with identity and self-esteem issues, are dealing with family tensions and have encountered racism or discrimination.
Similarly, those who subscribe to incel beliefs question their place in society, and experience difficulties in meeting traditional expectations of masculinity. Popular manosphere actors like Andrew Tate and Sneako exploit those insecurities by pushing content which blame women and the feminist movement for men’s hardships.
By providing warped clarity, accessible scapegoats and a sense of community, these harmful ideologies can easily take root in young people’s impressionable minds when they are in a formative period of social development.
The risk of radicalisation is compounded by content recommendation algorithms, which play an influential role in shaping youths’ experiences online. For example, many young men who do not actively seek out manosphere content are exposed to it through such algorithms. Fitness, dating or gaming content can quickly lead users toward manosphere narratives without deliberate searching.
The element of speed fuels the escalation. A survey conducted by Vodafone in the UK found that boys aged 11 to 14 are exposed to harmful content within 30 minutes of being online, with one in 10 being exposed in under a minute.
This passive exposure is particularly dangerous because algorithms interpret users’ repeated viewing as interest and feed them more of the same content. Eventually, this creates a self-reinforcing cycle which pulls youths deeper into a harmful online environment.
The permeability of the cyberspace means that different ideologies migrate easily across communities and platforms. One example is the term “looksmaxxing”, which has been absorbed into mainstream culture and everyday language.
However, the term was originally used by the online incel community to refer to a range of beauty enhancement treatments, including dangerous practices such as “bone smashing” for a more chiselled look.
Today, “looksmaxxing” circulates in memes and jokes, stripped of its origins and harms. However, such normalisation might dull young people’s perception of risk over time and desensitise them to extreme beliefs. Without the skills and support to navigate these murky online spaces, some young people may gradually absorb ideologies and behaviours without recognising their harmful implications for society.
In different parts of the world, governments are considering various approaches to better protect young people from online harms. Singapore’s Code of Practice for Online Safety for App Distribution Services, which takes effect on Mar 31, requires app stores to set community standards, minimise risk of exposure to age-inappropriate harmful content and respond promptly to users’ reports of violations.
The Australian government has banned social media use for children under 16, to reduce their exposure to misogyny, violence and cyberbullying. However, this ban does not apply to gaming platforms and chatrooms. Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft are just a few examples of unfiltered spaces which bad actors can leverage to spread their ideologies.
The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, a US-based non-profit organisation, found that far-right groups use Roblox gameplay to promote fascist and Nazi ideologies, some of which overlap with manosphere narratives. Some video game streamers use their platforms to spread gender-based hate.
Authorities and policymakers need to work with service providers to proactively identify and deplatform radical figures and sites where misogynistic, violent and extremist ideas proliferate. This will stymie the reach and legitimacy of bad actors while preserving young people’s access to the broader benefits of online spaces.
Authorities and policymakers need to work with service providers to proactively identify and deplatform radical figures and sites where misogynistic, violent and extremist ideas proliferate. This will stymie the reach and legitimacy of bad actors while preserving young people’s access to the broader benefits of online spaces.
In addition to structural measures, we need to up our game in cultivating digital literacy. At the National Institute of Education, research by doctoral candidate Farah Vierra and Associate Professor Suzanne Choo examines how to better develop students’ truth-seeking literacies.
They recommend students practise deep reading of texts, going beyond surface-level analysis and their personal opinions. Students should consider historical and cultural contexts, as well as engage with alternative perspectives. Such an approach seeks to encourage students to evaluate and reflect on the content they consume.
Teaching students how to critically evaluate online narratives is important, given that proponents of extremist narratives rely on misinformation, cherry-picked data, fabricated information and conspiracy theories to sway young minds. Through regular practice across different subjects, youths learn to consider what they see online, disrupting their passive exposure to harmful content in online spaces.
Youth radicalisation today is quiet, passive and incremental, and often invisible to the adults in their lives. Countering youth radicalisation demands sustained effort from governments, industry and educators.
Carol Soon is Associate Professor (Practice) and Deputy Head in the Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore. She is also Vice Chair of the Media Literacy Council. Hannah Nor’hisham is Research Assistant in the Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore
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Last year, another 14-year-old student was given a restriction order for subscribing to a “salad bar” of extremist ideologies, ranging from far-right to far-left ideas to misogyny, Islamic State beliefs and anti-semitism. The Internal Security Department also imposed its first restriction order on a female teenager. The girl, aged 15, aspired to marry a militant fighter and fight for the group in Syria.
These cases at home reflect a global phenomenon of young people subscribing to radical beliefs that go beyond religious extremism.
A subculture which is growing in popularity, particularly among male youths, is the manosphere – a loose but interconnected network of online communities united by the perception that men are victims of modern feminist society.
The unsettling reality is that young people cannot be fully shielded from harmful influences online. What can we learn from extremist internet communities, and what can we do to inoculate youth against dangerous ideals and narratives?
INNOCUOUS BEGINNINGS TO ONLINE RADICALISATION
At the key stage of identity and social development, youth are susceptible to narratives that frame personal and societal problems through injustice and misogyny.
According to Educate Against Hate, an online portal set up by the UK government, children from all types of backgrounds can become radicalised. Those who are more vulnerable tend to struggle with identity and self-esteem issues, are dealing with family tensions and have encountered racism or discrimination.
Similarly, those who subscribe to incel beliefs question their place in society, and experience difficulties in meeting traditional expectations of masculinity. Popular manosphere actors like Andrew Tate and Sneako exploit those insecurities by pushing content which blame women and the feminist movement for men’s hardships.
By providing warped clarity, accessible scapegoats and a sense of community, these harmful ideologies can easily take root in young people’s impressionable minds when they are in a formative period of social development.
PLATFORM ALGORITHMS ADD OIL TO FIRE
The risk of radicalisation is compounded by content recommendation algorithms, which play an influential role in shaping youths’ experiences online. For example, many young men who do not actively seek out manosphere content are exposed to it through such algorithms. Fitness, dating or gaming content can quickly lead users toward manosphere narratives without deliberate searching.
The element of speed fuels the escalation. A survey conducted by Vodafone in the UK found that boys aged 11 to 14 are exposed to harmful content within 30 minutes of being online, with one in 10 being exposed in under a minute.
This passive exposure is particularly dangerous because algorithms interpret users’ repeated viewing as interest and feed them more of the same content. Eventually, this creates a self-reinforcing cycle which pulls youths deeper into a harmful online environment.
The permeability of the cyberspace means that different ideologies migrate easily across communities and platforms. One example is the term “looksmaxxing”, which has been absorbed into mainstream culture and everyday language.
However, the term was originally used by the online incel community to refer to a range of beauty enhancement treatments, including dangerous practices such as “bone smashing” for a more chiselled look.
Today, “looksmaxxing” circulates in memes and jokes, stripped of its origins and harms. However, such normalisation might dull young people’s perception of risk over time and desensitise them to extreme beliefs. Without the skills and support to navigate these murky online spaces, some young people may gradually absorb ideologies and behaviours without recognising their harmful implications for society.
Related:
DEPLATFORMING BAD ACTORS AND RETHINKING LITERACY
In different parts of the world, governments are considering various approaches to better protect young people from online harms. Singapore’s Code of Practice for Online Safety for App Distribution Services, which takes effect on Mar 31, requires app stores to set community standards, minimise risk of exposure to age-inappropriate harmful content and respond promptly to users’ reports of violations.
The Australian government has banned social media use for children under 16, to reduce their exposure to misogyny, violence and cyberbullying. However, this ban does not apply to gaming platforms and chatrooms. Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft are just a few examples of unfiltered spaces which bad actors can leverage to spread their ideologies.
The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, a US-based non-profit organisation, found that far-right groups use Roblox gameplay to promote fascist and Nazi ideologies, some of which overlap with manosphere narratives. Some video game streamers use their platforms to spread gender-based hate.
Authorities and policymakers need to work with service providers to proactively identify and deplatform radical figures and sites where misogynistic, violent and extremist ideas proliferate. This will stymie the reach and legitimacy of bad actors while preserving young people’s access to the broader benefits of online spaces.
Related:
Authorities and policymakers need to work with service providers to proactively identify and deplatform radical figures and sites where misogynistic, violent and extremist ideas proliferate. This will stymie the reach and legitimacy of bad actors while preserving young people’s access to the broader benefits of online spaces.
In addition to structural measures, we need to up our game in cultivating digital literacy. At the National Institute of Education, research by doctoral candidate Farah Vierra and Associate Professor Suzanne Choo examines how to better develop students’ truth-seeking literacies.
They recommend students practise deep reading of texts, going beyond surface-level analysis and their personal opinions. Students should consider historical and cultural contexts, as well as engage with alternative perspectives. Such an approach seeks to encourage students to evaluate and reflect on the content they consume.
Teaching students how to critically evaluate online narratives is important, given that proponents of extremist narratives rely on misinformation, cherry-picked data, fabricated information and conspiracy theories to sway young minds. Through regular practice across different subjects, youths learn to consider what they see online, disrupting their passive exposure to harmful content in online spaces.
Youth radicalisation today is quiet, passive and incremental, and often invisible to the adults in their lives. Countering youth radicalisation demands sustained effort from governments, industry and educators.
Carol Soon is Associate Professor (Practice) and Deputy Head in the Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore. She is also Vice Chair of the Media Literacy Council. Hannah Nor’hisham is Research Assistant in the Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore
Continue reading...