Episode 2 - Online Misogyny and the Far Right with Julia Ebner and Blast Theory

<p>For the second episode of the Women Shaping the World Podcast, we discuss the fluid boundaries between online radical misogyny and extremist movements. The intoxicating nature of hateful online communities makes people, especially young men, susceptible to radicalisation, when they find the social life online that they lack in real life. While they might not be swayed by anti-semitic and racists rhetoric when they initially enter chat rooms, their isolation makes them easy prey to the discourse.  Researcher Julia Ebner went undercover and infiltrated these communities for more than a year. Her book, <em>Going Dark: The Secret Social Life of Extremists</em> out in paperback now, tells the fascinating and alarming story of her journey to the darkest corners of the internet. She will tell us about the mechanisms of recruitment and her personal experience when confronted with ideas and images whose violence is hard to stand as a young woman.</p> <p>After the break, Blast Theory's Ju Row Farr will tell us about the company's <em>Operation Black Antler</em>, a participatory theatre play where the audience is invited to go undercover and infiltrate a far-right group. Can culture create bridges to reach out to young people before they are radicalised?  </p>