Research summary
Far-right extremism is spreading in countries around the world, including Canada—and digital platforms are being harnessed to recruit and radicalize followers. As Canada Research Chair in Digital Extremism, Dr. Amy Mack is exploring how extremist organizers use new media technologies to fuel extremist movements and how these platforms can also be harnessed to counter them.
Mack is investigating the roots of radicalization, examining how communities respond to extremism (both online and offline), and developing public-facing tools to disrupt digital hate and disinformation. She and her research team are also engaged in a project that focuses on why certain extremist ideas take hold in places like southern Alberta. By using ethnographic and community-based methods, their research is informing practical, locally grounded strategies for preventing extremism. Ultimately, it is contributing to national security, public policy and efforts to build more resilient, informed, inclusive communities.