Ordinary, otherwise unremarkable people can become radicalized through online research

Evidence

Kirkby is a relatively small town in the borough of Knowsley, in the northwest of England. Boasting a little over 40,000 inhabitants, it’s the birthplace of poet Robert Atherton, the actor Stephen Graham -and a man you’ve probably never heard of, until now: Michael Whitty. Whitty is a dad of three. He volunteers for a local charity and operates an airport parking facility. He has also been developing some unusual ideas, slowly but steadily, with the assistance of a trusted friend, the internet. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 3

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Online environments are compressing radicalization from years to months — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America:…, 177; Internet radicalization recruits people toward suicide martyrdom; Boredom and job loss can drive politically inactive people into radicalization — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 10 (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Online environments are compressing radicalization from years to months #expands (0.85) — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America, 177
• Boredom and job loss can drive politically inactive people into radicalization #corroborates (0.85) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 10
• Recruiting media helped the Internet radicalize young hate-group members #exemplifies (0.82) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1300
• The Internet emboldens fringe believers by confirming isolated views #expands (0.82) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 148
• Algorithmic-radicalization narratives may overstate causation since most frustrated users stay moderate #qualifies (0.80) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 387
• Internet radicalization recruits people toward suicide martyrdom #expands (0.78)
• Radicalization stories overstate the causal role of recommendation algorithms #qualifies (0.78) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 387
• Perceived exclusion and injustice prime society-wide breeding grounds for radicalization #expands (0.75) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 716
• Personal crises precede and open receptivity to religious radicalization #expands (0.75) — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America, 327
• Creators hijack recommendation algorithms to expose radicalized users to rebuttals #qualifies (0.72) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 385