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Modeling ISIS and the Alt-Right

Rejected submission by aristarchus at 2017-09-28 08:07:14 from the Buzzards are better at detecting dead meat dept. dept.
Science

So it seems a physicist, Neil Johnson, has applied modeling to a variety of things that are not, strictly speaking, physics [quantamagazine.org]! Original source, Quanta Magazine [quantamagazine.org].

Johnson models the extreme events and behaviors that can arise in complex systems. The author of two books on complexity, he has found that the same principles often apply, regardless of whether a system consists of interacting electrons, humans or anything else.

Anything else has include both ISIS and the Alt-right in America.

The rise of ISIS has served as both an impetus and test case for Johnson’s models. Even more recently, he has begun using his models to study the growth of white nationalist groups in the United States.

Very interesting interview, for anyone interesting in understanding the alt-right, or ISIS. The take-away comes at the end of the interview:

Does your research also apply to the rise of white supremacist groups in the U.S.?

Yes, what we are doing is very relevant since the alt-right groups live, recruit and coordinate (and hence evolve) online. And from what we can already see, they do so pretty much exactly like the pro-ISIS groups evolve and coordinate, but Facebook has so far been less quick to shut them down. So the question is: What was the activity of the online groups before Charlottesville? And if we look at their evolution (as we did for pro-ISIS groups) from now on, can we foresee the growth to an outburst like a future Charlottesville, but elsewhere in the U.S.?

Modelling of extremism, application of science to the margins? Science is a go.


Original Submission