Greek
independent
media
and
the
an.fascist
movement
Dr
Sky
Croeser
[@scroeser]
Cur'n
University
Dr
Tim
Highfield
[@6mhighfield]
Queensland
University
of
Technology
Social
Media
&
Society
Toronto,
27
September
2014

Outline
• Research
context:
the
Mapping
Movements
project
and
the
Greek
case
study.
• Methods:
combining
online
and
offline,
qualita.ve
and
quan.ta.ve.
• Findings:
– Greek
an.fascist
ac.vism
relies
on
a
complex
media
ecosystem.
– Local
networks
are
part
of
diverse
issue
and
place-­‐based
networks.
– Greek
ac.vists
make
significant
use
of
their
own
media
infrastructure.

Mapping
Movements
• Interna.onal
studies
of
social
movements
and
their
use
of
online
technologies.
• Blend
of
fieldwork
and
digital
methods,
qualita.ve
and
quan.ta.ve
analyses
• Case
studies:
– Occupy
Oakland.
– 2013
World
Social
Forum,
Tunis.
– An.fascist
movement
and
Indymedia
Athens.

Context
for
Greece
• 2008
protests
sparked
by
the
murder
of
teenager
Alexandros
Grigoropoulos
by
police.
• Austerity
policies
+
racism
from
mainstream
and
far-­‐right
par.es.
• AUacks
on
independent
and
mainstream
media.
• This
provides
an
interes.ng
case
study:
both
representa.ve
of
broader
trends,
and
with
important
par.culari.es.

Research
design
• Mixed-­‐methods
approach:
– Perspec.ves
from
movement
par.cipa.ons
– Online
presenta.on
of
movement
• Interviews
and
fieldwork
• Online
issue
networks,
social
media
discussions
– Issuecrawler
– Hashtag
and
place-­‐oriented
keyword
searches
on
TwiUer

Digital
methods
• Issuecrawler
[hUp://issuecrawler.net]
• Iden.fy
issue
and
solidarity
networks
by
following
hyperlinks
from
a
seed
list
of
sites
discussing
a
par.cular
issue.
• Issue
networks
highlight
the
resources,
organisa.ons,
media,
and
other
websites
(including
social
media
plaorms)
that
are
connected,
cited,
or
invoked
through
hyperlinks
from
these
sites.
• TwiUer
• Issue-­‐related
keyword
and
hashtag
archives
captured
through
TwiUer
API
using
yourTwapperKeeper.

Fieldwork
and
interviews
• Semi-­‐structured
interviews,
tailored
to
par.cipants'
posi.ons
within
the
movement
rather
than
standardised.
• Snowball
sampling
with
mul.ple
star.ng
points.
• Par.cipant
observa.on:
a
willingness
to
take
part
in
ac.ons
is
vital.

Case
study
•
Wider
context
of
an.fascist
movement
and
the
11
April
2013
shut
down
of
Athens
Indymedia,
Radio
Entasi,
and
98FM.
•
Fieldwork
in
Greece
during
this
period.
•
Issue
networks
and
TwiUer
ac.vity
tracked
April-­‐June
2013
around
Indymedia,
an.fascist
sites,
related
hashtags
and
keywords.

Findings
Indymedia
issue
network:
clusters
of
sites
around
open
radio
and
squats
Connec.ons
to
an.fascist
–
an.-­‐
Golden
Dawn
–
sites

An.fascist
issue
Findings
network.
Cluster
of
local
Greek
websites
–
alterna.ve
and
mainstream
media
–
and
ac.vist
blogs.
Connec.ons
to
interna.onal
media
and
movements
(refugee
rights,
pro-­‐immigra.on)

Findings
1. Social
media
use
in
the
an.fascist
movement
is
built
on
a
diverse
ecosystem
in
which
commercial
plaorms
are
important,
but
so
are
highly-­‐localised
sites
– Especially
sites
associated
with
local
squats
–
these
form
a
.ghtly
interlinked
group
within
the
issue
network.

Findings
2. An.-­‐racist
work
is
strongly
.ed
to
other
an.-­‐fascist
networks,
both
in
Greece
and
throughout
Europe.
– The
an.-­‐fascist
movement
in
Athens
is
part
of
a
solidarity
network,
where
connec.ons
are
made
not
just
between
local
movements
around
the
same
issue,
but
na.onal
and
interna.onal
groups
with
thema.c
and
ideological
overlaps,
such
as
pro-­‐
immigra.on
and
refugee
rights’
groups.

Findings
3. Independent
and
alterna.ve
media
plaorms
play
a
central
role
in
the
Greek
case,
in
response
to
distrust
of
commercial
media:
– Ci.zen-­‐led
plaorms
(including
Indymedia,
blogs,
and
open
radio)
afford
ac.vists
an
outlet
for
dis.nct
and
independent
voices.
– Independent
infrastructure
gives
ac.vists
more
control
and
autonomy
than
major
social
media
plaorms.

Conclusion
• Benefits
of
our
methodological
approach:
– The
Mapping
Movements
cases
draw
on
a
combina.on
of
quan.ta.ve
and
qualita.ve
approaches,
and
of
complementary
offline
and
online
research.
– These
allow
us
to
consider
mul.ple
perspec.ves
and
framing
of
movements.
– These
methods
include
ac.vists
engaged
only
with
either
the
online
or
the
physical
aspects
of
the
movements.

Conclusion
• Online
media
use
is,
in
fact,
.ghtly
.ed
to
place,
rather
than
being
a
space
of
borderless
freedom,
even
in
democra.c
states.
– Importance
of
the
local
–
squats,
open
radio,
postering
–
and
the
impact
of
shutdowns.
– Connec.ons
to
interna.onal
groups
and
movements
show
solidarity
and
movement
context,
but
the
local
shapes
organisa.on.
– Choice
of
media
also
confirms
ac.vist
concerns
over
independence,
data
control,
and
surveillance.

Mapping
Movements
• Dr
Sky
Croeser
hUp://skycroeser.net
@scroeser
Global
Jus'ce
and
the
Poli'cs
of
Informa'on:
The
struggle
over
knowledge
(Routledge,
2014)
• Dr
Tim
Highfield
hUp://.mhighfield.net
@.mhighfield