The Power to Persuade? Stylistic Means and Effects of Right-Wing and Islamic Extremist Internet Propaganda

• In Event: Intergroup Dynamics in the Context of Place and (Cyber)Space

Abstract

The present study aimed at investigating the appearance and effects of right-wing and Islamic extremist propaganda videos. We first conducted a content analysis and then tested the effects of prototypical videos in a laboratory experiment on young adults (N=100), Germans, Muslim and non-Muslim migrants. To grasp a huge range of potential effects, we assessed online measures (electrodermal activity, unpleasantness ratings), as well as post-hoc evaluations (emotional and cognitive). Results demonstrate that propaganda is evaluated negatively. However the shade of avoidance varied with the propagandist genre: Entertaining videos created more interest than boring videos. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the potential within extremist videos.

Authors

• Diana Rieger, University of Cologne

• Lena Frischlich, University of Cologne