The internet was supposed to be a “global village,” but it has proven to be a potent tool for forging global connections among nationalists. That’s according to an analysis of data collections totaling more than 500-million tweets from 2016 to 2020. In fact, internet-savvy nativist–populist users in Scandinavia have established networks that bridge political movements and vocabularies in the U.S., the U.K., and their own countries.
In Jessica Yarin Robinson's exploration of these digital networks, she uncovers how residents of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark use Twitter to engage in cross-border political conversations, including around American presidential elections, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although Twitter’s userbase predominantly leans to the left, Robinson’s research points out an interesting counterpoint: right and far-right groups appear to be more active in terms of transnational communication. She refers to this phenomenon as “cosmopolitan nationalism.”
Robinson’s innovative methodology merges big data analytics with firsthand accounts from interviews with Scandinavian Twitter users, offering a nuanced view of the digital political landscape.
Contrary to prevailing assumptions about global communication, Robinson argues that global digital connectivity does not inherently lead to a specific political orientation. Instead, the web normalizes cross-border political engagement, helping users find others with the same ideology, regardless of nationality. Robinson's research underscores that the proliferation of digital communication empowers ordinary individuals to engage in subtle forms of “foreign interference” in other nations' public spheres. She asserts that policymakers should take into account the broader networks citizens belong to when evaluating the origins of information, as well as misinformation, in democratic discussions.
Jessica Yarin Robinson successfully defended her dissertation on 15 June 2023.
Trial lecture
Designated topic: "Digital methods - challenges and future development"
Evaluation committee
Dr. Max Hänska, Freie Universität Berlin (first opponent)
Professor Ingrid Volkmer, University of Melbourne (second opponent)
Professor Marika Lüders, University of Oslo (committee administrator)
Chair of the defence
Head of Department Kjetil Rødje
Supervisors
Professor Gunn Enli, University of Oslo
Professor Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane