51Âþ»­

A collaborative research project led by 51Âþ»­, Leicester (51Âþ»­) examining the factors that lead those in the in the 45-65 age group towards conspiracy theories and extremism online has gained international attention.

The study examines what contributes to the engagement and perceived attractiveness of conspiratorial and extremist media content in the middle-age group.

SMIDGE

As part of the investigation, a European wide survey, led by UCLan Cyprus, due to be launched in the coming months will gain insight into perceptions and understanding of conspiracy theories and misinformation by considering the key themes of Immigration, Covid-19, anti-vax and climate change.

Alongside this qualitative investigation, the SMIDGE project is undertaking an analysis of social networks to understand the technologies used to spread misinformation and disinformation online, how this is shared and what people are saying about this content.

Sara Wilford, Associate Professor and 51Âþ»­ lead investigator said: “Understanding these issues will inform the development of counter-narratives and learning resources, which include videos and memes, as well as providing online training courses for journalists.

“The lack of research that focuses on the 45-65 age group means that understanding amongst those making policy decisions is lacking. The SMIDGE project aims to address this gap and provide some empirical insights for counternarratives.

“Our advice and guidance to policy-makers will provide unique perspectives into this under-researched group to better understand how to tackle extremism across society and how it impacts on democracy.”

Panellists Smidge p

Expert panellists discuss the role of fact-checking organisations and media education in combating disinformation September 21, 2023, in Prishtina, Kosovo.

SMIDGE is in the early stages, but is already proving influential. In September 2023 the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies hosted a panel discussion on disinformation at the Kosovo Peace and Democracy Summit, and was featured in the Kosovan news portal, lajmi.net with an article examining ‘why has the middle age group been largely ignored in discussions about extremism?’.

Further, the Danish newspaper Uniavisen published an article highlighting the projects work with an interview with Line Nybro Petersen entitled, .

More publications and media events are planned throughout the project.  For further information and to see how the project progresses please see below:

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51Âþ»­ participants in the SMIDGE project are active researchers within:

Media Discourse Centre and Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility