Far-right social media communication in the light of technology affordances: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Most analyses of far-right communication on social media focus on one specific platform, while findings are generalized. In this study, I argue that the far right’s use of social media depends on technology affordances–the linkage between platform design and usage–and, thus, might not always be generalizable. After discussing six affordances–persistence, scalability, replicability, connectivity, searchability, and identifiability–I apply them to studies about the far right on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram in a systematic literature review. I conclude that most research focuses on aspects linked to connectivity, scalability, and replicability, while persistence, searchability, and identifiability are barely researched so far. I further discuss shortcomings and possibilities for future research to consider aspect of technology affordances.