NEOVEX

Read on the NEOVEX research project that deals with conspiracy theories and right-wing extremist ideologies and their function of legitimizing violence.

  • Final Event of the NEOVEX Research Project
    On the 10th of December, our team members  Annett Heft (Universität Tübingen, Freie Universität Berlin/Weizenbaum Institute),  Kilian Buehling and Xixuan Zhang (both Freie Universität Berlin/Weizenbaum Institute) participated in the final event of the NEOVEX research project, which took place at the Representation of the State of Hamburg in Berlin. The event started with the presentation of the results […]
  • Podcast: Understanding Conspiracy Theories on Alternative Platforms
    In the latest episode of the NEOVEX podcast, Maik Fielitz from the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society in Jena, responsible for the area of right-wing extremism and democracy research at the IDZ, sits down with Dr. Kilian Bühling, a researcher at the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society, working on the researching diffusion dynamics […]
  • Unveiling the Stylistic Dynamics of Conspiracy Theory Communication in Digital Spaces
    Today, the proliferation of conspiracy theories has become a prevalent issue, often fueled by the expansive reach of digital forums and social media platforms. A collaborative project led by Annett Heft, Kilian Buehling, Xixuan Zhang (all Freie University of Berlin/Weizenbaum Institute), research on the complex nuances of online communication surrounding conspiracy narratives. In their investigation, […]
  • NEOVEX Meeting in Munich
    On February 7 and 8, the NEOVEX subprojects consortium meeting took place at the Munich School of Politics of the Technical University of Munich. The main focus was on exchanging ideas and planning future collaboration. During the one-day workshop, the subproject teams gathered to update the consortium and funding agencies on their current project work. […]
  • Book launch with Eviane Leidig “The Women of the Far Right”
    On November 2nd, 2023, we had the great pleasure of participating in the book launch of The Women of the Far Right, written by Dr. Eviane Leidig (Tilburg University). Hosted by the research project NEOVEX, the event was jointly organized with the Free University of Berlin, the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society in Berlin, […]
  • How well can conspiracy theory content be measured on social media? It’s a matter of time!
    Many civil society and academic projects are engaged in documenting and analyzing conspiracy theory, anti-democratic or racist discourse on social media. Kilian Buehling has investigated to what extent the results of these efforts are influenced by the time of data collection. In this article, he summarizes the results of a recently published study. A bizarre […]
  • Platform infrastructures and the spread of conspiracy theories
    After the announcement in October 2022 that the microblogging platform Twitter had been acquired by Elon Musk, incidents both within the company and in the platform’s digital space began to spiral. Since then, many experts have been concerned that Twitter could become a communication platform where disinformation, hate speech, and conspiracy theories could take up a […]
  • Wie gut kann man verschwörungstheoretische Inhalte auf Social Media messen? Alles eine Frage der Zeit!
    Social media has become a central stage for conspiracy-theoretical, anti-democratic, and racist discourses. But how can such content be effectively documented and analyzed – and what role does the timing of data collection play in this process? Kilian Bühling has explored these questions in a recent study that highlights how dynamic and time-sensitive these discussions […]
  • Plattforminfrastrukturen und die Verbreitung von Verschwörungstheorien
    Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter could dramatically reshape the platform’s structures, potentially paving the way for more disinformation, hate speech, and conspiracy theories. In this analysis, Annett Heft examines how the design and features of social media platforms influence their usage and the dynamics of discourse. She delves into the potential impacts of this high-profile […]