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Drilling a Telegram-YouTube Pipeline: Cross-Platform Affordances of German Anti-Government Extremist Networks

Leoni Heyn Orcid Logo, Joe Whittaker Orcid Logo

Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Pages: 1 - 28

Swansea University Author: Joe Whittaker Orcid Logo

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Abstract

This study examines social media platforms in the mobilization and convergence of German Anti-Government Extremist (AGE) networks Querdenken and Reichsbürger in the lead-up to their coup-attempt in December 2022. Using a longitudinal URL analysis of 785,865 Telegram messages from August to December...

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Published in: Studies in Conflict & Terrorism
ISSN: 1057-610X 1521-0731
Published: Informa UK Limited 2025
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70996
Abstract: This study examines social media platforms in the mobilization and convergence of German Anti-Government Extremist (AGE) networks Querdenken and Reichsbürger in the lead-up to their coup-attempt in December 2022. Using a longitudinal URL analysis of 785,865 Telegram messages from August to December 2022, we assess how platform affordances shape inter-group interactions across the digital ecosystem. Our findings reveal two distinct yet interdependent platform usage patterns, with both milieus relying heavily on instant messaging and video platforms. The “Telegram-YouTube pipeline” emerges as a key structure for mobilization and radicalization, demonstrating how affordances of different platform types function to sustain inter-group engagement.
College: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Funders: The authors would like to thank the Institute for Security Policy at the University of Kiel for enabling the open access publication of this article through their generous financial support.
Start Page: 1
End Page: 28