SMIDGE Featured in Kosovan Media

The SMIDGE Project continues to make waves in the media, with a recent feature in Kosovan news portal, lajmi.net. The article delves into SMIDGE's partnership with the Kosovar Center for Security Studies (KCSS) and their efforts to combat extremism among middle-aged adults.

The article's headline, "Why has the middle age group been largely ignored in discussions about extremism?" highlights the issue that SMIDGE and KCSS are working to address. While there has been significant research on violent extremism and radicalization, it has largely focused on young people, leaving middle-aged adults (aged 45-65) overlooked. Mentor Vrajolli, Executive Director of KCSS, emphasizes that middle-aged adults are also susceptible to extremist narratives, especially those related to conspiracy theories and misinformation. The impact of their exposure to extremist content is often overlooked, despite its potential consequences on democratic processes and institutions.

To better understand and counter extremist narratives, KCSS plans to create a database of videos containing extremist content and analyze the type of narratives that are influencing the 45-65 age group. This will help them develop effective strategies to combat these narratives.

Vrajolli notes that the situation in Kosovo, including heightened tensions with Serbia and malignant Russian influence in the region, makes understanding the impact of extremist narratives even more crucial. "Taking into account the situation in Kosovo and Europe," he says, "we hope to better understand how far-right narratives and other extremist narratives and disinformation are affecting our region."

The SMIDGE Project is proud to partner with KCSS in this important work and looks forward to continuing to raise awareness of the impact of extremism on middle-aged adults. Read the full article on lajmi.net: https://lajmi.net/pse-grupmosha-e-mesme-eshte-injoruar-kryesisht-ne-diskutimet-rreth-ekstremizmit/