Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026
06:42
Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
Indirect mobilisation and violence legitimation through influencers on alternative platforms
Darja Wischerath1, Olivia Brown1, Lukasz Piwek1
1School of Management, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
The British Journal of Social Psychology
|April 4, 2026
Summary
Online influencers can mobilize collective action, even violence, through platforms like Telegram. This study shows how one influencer legitimized violence during the 2024 UK riots by shaping group identity and leadership online.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Digital Sociology
- Political Communication
Background:
- Traditional collective action research emphasizes group processes.
- Online influencers increasingly shape collective action via one-to-many communication.
- Self-categorisation theory provides a framework for understanding group dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine indirect mobilization and violence legitimation by an online influencer.
- Analyze the role of a far-right influencer's Telegram channel in the 2024 UK riots.
- Extend the social identity approach to digital mobilization dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Case study of a specific far-right influencer's Telegram channel (Tommy Robinson News).
- Analysis of 230 posts and 156 multimedia items (July 29 - August 7, 2024).
- Abductive thematic analysis to identify patterns in communication and mobilization.
Main Results:
- The influencer constructed group identities and established leadership legitimacy.
- Content analyzed legitimized violence throughout the progression of the riots.
- Telegram's broadcast-style communication influenced identity construction and mobilization.
Conclusions:
- Online influencers can effectively mobilize collective action, including violence, through digital platforms.
- Digital platforms' affordances significantly impact leadership, identity, and mobilization dynamics.
- Findings extend social identity theory to understand digital-era collective action.
Keywords:
collective actionconspiracy theoriesindirect mobilisationonline influencersself‐categorisation theoryviolence legitimationMore Related Videos
08:01Virtual Hand with Ambiguous Movement between the Self and Other Origin: Sense of Ownership and 'Other-Produced' Agency
Published on: October 28, 2020
07:35How Virtual Celebrity Characteristics Drive Purchase Intention: Testing the Stimulus-Organism-Response Framework with Structural Equation Modeling
Published on: March 3, 2026
Related Concept Videos
02:04Bullying
A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is bullying.
01:01Group Polarization
Group polarization is the strengthening of an original group attitude following the discussion of views within a group (Teger & Pruitt, 1967). That is, if a group initially favors a viewpoint, after discussion the group consensus is likely a stronger endorsement of the viewpoint. Conversely, if the group was initially opposed to a viewpoint, group discussion would likely lead to stronger opposition.
01:30Impact of Individuals on Individuals
Human behavior is intricately shaped by social influences that arise from interactions with others in diverse contexts. These influences not only mold beliefs and attitudes but also drive the regulation of behaviors through both direct communication and observational learning. The study of these processes falls within the domain of social psychology, which seeks to understand how individuals are affected by and affect those around them.Mechanisms of Social InfluenceDirect social influence...
01:30Social Foundations of Self IV: Self in Digital Communication
Since the early 2000s, computer-mediated communication (CMC) has grown rapidly, playing a crucial role in self-development. A key distinction between CMC and real-life interactions is the lack of a physically present partner. This absence makes non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, and paralinguistic signals unavailable in CMC platforms like email, instant messaging, or social media. The lack of these cues can create ambiguity and complicate how feedback is interpreted.The...
01:29Impression Management Techniques III: Aligning Actions
Aligning actions are communicative strategies individuals employ to maintain social harmony and preserve personal identity in the face of potential disruptions to social norms. These actions are particularly important in managing social impressions when one's behavior might be seen as inappropriate, incompetent, or morally questionable.Types of Aligning ActionsThe three principal types of aligning actions are disclaimers, accounts, and apologies.DisclaimersDisclaimers are preventive; they are...
01:14Impression Management Techniques IV: Altercasting
Altercasting is a strategic communication technique in which an individual imposes a specific identity or social role onto another person to influence their behavior and shape the interaction. By presuming a role—such as “responsible leader” or “patient person”—altercasting encourages the target to conform to that identity, often aligning their behavior with the expectations associated with the role. The power of this tactic lies in its subtlety; once a role is assigned, it becomes socially...