How has Britain First achieved their (online) success?
Images from the Britain First Facebook Page
The first reason the Facebook page has been successful is due to it's use of viral content: content that many people naturally agree with and will, therefore, "like" and "share". Funny cat videos are one form of viral content. However, Britain First typically utilizes images and messages that promote love for British soldiers and the queen, and decry pedophilia and animal cruelty. The poppy and Christian imagery are also common on the site. These “honey trap” images are interspersed with Britain First’s more radical and hateful messages. Thus, the page's newsfeed is a bizarre mix of promotional Britain First clothing and gifts, far-right politics, populist nationalism, Islamophobia, Winston Churchill, and...animal rights? I argue that this "random" assortment is not random at all, but rather the calculated, manipulative, and extraordinarily successful work of Jim Dowson and the other leaders. Using this viral media, Britain First has essentially duped unsuspecting Facebook users into “liking” their Facebook page and, henceforth, being exposed to their more radical content. As will be discussed in Part 2, Britain First also capitalizes on current events (another form of "viral content") to attract users. Interestingly, Dowson, in an interview with Channel 4 News, said he learned how to create publicity campaigns from pro-life groups in the US (1).
The second reason for the page's success lies in its relentless community building. Britain First has formed a community where people can openly share their thoughts with other like-minded individuals without a fear of major backlash. Despite espousing the necessity of free speech (and being outraged whenever their freedom is challenged), the Britain First Facebook page is notorious for their “delete and ban” policy. This phenomenon describes the consistency and speed with which the page moderators delete comments that challenge their posts and then ban the user who posted them. This has created an environment where the conversation is overwhelmingly one-sided and many of the posts appear to go unchallenged, thus molding the public perception that their views are unilateral, acceptable, and popular.
In conjunction, these two methods attract Facebook users to their page and keep them there.
The second reason for the page's success lies in its relentless community building. Britain First has formed a community where people can openly share their thoughts with other like-minded individuals without a fear of major backlash. Despite espousing the necessity of free speech (and being outraged whenever their freedom is challenged), the Britain First Facebook page is notorious for their “delete and ban” policy. This phenomenon describes the consistency and speed with which the page moderators delete comments that challenge their posts and then ban the user who posted them. This has created an environment where the conversation is overwhelmingly one-sided and many of the posts appear to go unchallenged, thus molding the public perception that their views are unilateral, acceptable, and popular.
In conjunction, these two methods attract Facebook users to their page and keep them there.
What do these "honey-trap" images look like?
Screenshots of the Britain First Facebook Page
These images represent a range of the "honey-traps" that Britain First uses: the poppy, support for soldiers, British patriotism, the queen, messages of anti-pedophilia and anti-animal cruelty, and the royal family. These themes work because many British people (will likely) agree with them - they are inclusive and make viewers feel connected to a greater British community. Considering that three of these images (1, 3, and 6) encourage liking and sharing the photo, it is easy to see how the content quickly becomes "viral". This manipulation of social media allows Britain First to establish a powerful online presence and recruit followers on a mass scale.
"Delete and Ban" Policy
Screenshot from the Britain First Facebook Page
Questions to Consider
Although successful, in a logistical sense, this type of online recruitment and policing is extremely controversial. Furthermore, how effectively does it translate to real life success? In the 2014 European Parliament election for the United Kingdom, Britain First received 20, 272 votes (2). So while Britain First "wins" on Facebook, it still remains millions of votes behind more established parties in the "real world". This leads to a series of interesting questions which I ask the reader to keep in mind.
-How will Britain First change the political landscape and the future of (online) politics? Will it change it at all?
-How is Britain First changing the public consumption of news?
-Will other political parties (have to) take note of their methods?
-Would we want other political parties replicating these tactics online?
-How will Britain First change the political landscape and the future of (online) politics? Will it change it at all?
-How is Britain First changing the public consumption of news?
-Will other political parties (have to) take note of their methods?
-Would we want other political parties replicating these tactics online?
Works Cited
- http://www.channel4.com/news/britain-first-far-right-anti-muslim-extremists-mosques
- http://www.bbc.com/news/events/vote2014/eu-uk-results
- "Cyber Racism: White Supremacy Online and the New Attack on Civil Rights", Jessie Daniels
- “The future of (the) race: identity and the rise of computer-mediated public spheres”, Dara Bryne