Political Socialization in the Age of Digital Media

Session Submission Type: Created Panel

Session Description

This panel examines processes of political socialization in the Age of Digital Media. Specifically, it explores how global media circuits perpetuate ideologies of right-wing populism rooted in racism, sexism, and xenophobia. In the U.S., these ideologies have been historically promoted by the right-wing corporate news media – from the presidential campaigns of Pat Buchanan in the 1990s, through the Tea Party movement in the mid-to-late 2000s, to Trump today. In the current conjuncture, social media has played a key role in Far Right political organization. For example, Gavin McInnes’s Proud Boys evolved from a small virtual community to a national organization boasting thousands of members with chapters in major U.S. cities. Under the aegis of “free speech,” the Proud Boys promulgated a crass neo-fascist discourse that attacked immigrants and feminists, sparking clashes with Antifa at Alt-Right rallies across the country. Often times, the digital media technologies at the center of contemporary political communication are viewed as neutral tools, freely employable to promote a wide range of political positions. On the contrary, algorithmic knowledge has served to support white supremacy – the racially-tinged data of the past shapes the current digital political world, correcting for dissenting “anomalies” along the way. There is a pressing need, then, for alternative and empowering forms of political socialization, such as critical pedagogy, to counteract these tendencies. This panel concludes by exploring the ways in which textual analysis may serve as a means of democratizing educational praxis.

Sub Unit

• DIVISION 42: New Political Science

Individual Presentations

• The Paradox of Trumpian Populism - Sarah Tanzi, Mount Holyoke College

• Fascist Politics in Democratic Spaces: The Proud Boys and Gavin McInnes - Robert Tynes, Bard Prison Initiative

• The Technological Privilege of Whiteness - Nicholas Fiori, The New School For Social Research

• Disrupting Political Theory Pedagogy - William W. Sokoloff, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley

Chair

• Neil Kraus University of Wisconsin, River Falls

Discussant

• Matthew P. Guardino Providence College