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Cited by 156Qualitative Research Methods and EthicsFocus Groups and Qualitative MethodsPopulism, Right-Wing Movements

Rethinking Research Ethics, Power, and the Risk of Visibility in the Era of the “Alt-Right” Gaze

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Massanari, Adrienne L.·2018·Social Media + Society
DOI 10.1177/2056305118768302
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Abstract

This essay explores what the “alt-right” (White ethnonationalist, fascist, misogynistic, and anti-intellectual communities) means for social media researchers in terms of research ethics, risk, and visibility. First, it outlines how #Gamergate and #OperationDiggingDiGRA indicated that academic researchers could be targets of their hostility. This essay then draws on the work of Foucault and Mulvey to theorize how far-right groups have a kind of “gaze.” Then, it discusses how far-right extremism requires rethinking ethical questions around researchers and participants. Finally, some thoughts are offered as to what this means for how individuals, organizations, disciplines, and institutions can support research into these spaces.

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Crossref · 10.1177/2056305118768302

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  • Creating fictional personas, aliases or pseudonyms for public-facing activities is now considered best practice by a growing number of researchers.

    “Indeed, this is now considered 'best practice' by a growing number of researchers (Marwick etal., 2016; Massanari, 2018).”

    From Information security for criminological ethnographers (2024) · cites this paper as Massanari, 2018

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Authors
Massanari, A. L.
Affiliations
University of Illinois Chicago (US)
Corresponding author
Massanari, Adrienne L.
ORCID
Massanari, Adrienne L.
Venue
Social Media + Society
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2018-04
Volume
4
Issue
2
ISSN
2056-3051 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1177/2056305118768302
OpenAlex
W2802620746
Cited by
156
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 4
FWCI
27.88
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Social Media + Society (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Populism, Right-Wing Movements
Keywords
alt-right, research ethics, researcher visibility, Gamergate, far-right extremism, gaze, Michel Foucault, misogyny, anti-intellectualism, social media research, researcher support

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