SMIDGE Releases Newsletter #4: Celebrating Two Years of Progress

The SMIDGE Project is proud to celebrate two years of impactful work with the release of Newsletter #4. This edition highlights key milestones, recent developments, and the latest efforts in combating online extremism and misinformation targeting middle-aged individuals.

Project Milestones

A central development in this reporting period is the launch of the SMIDGE Database Platform, an innovative tool designed to support researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in the analysis and understanding of digital extremism.

This platform provides structured access to a wide range of extremist narratives identified on major social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X. The content is systematically categorized, encompassing far-right, religious, anti-vaccination, and conspiracy-based narratives. The material ranges from overtly militant messaging to subtler forms of misinformation.

The platform also allows for the reporting of extremist content, thereby serving as a growing repository of data that facilitates evidence-based policy formulation and enhances understanding of the evolving digital landscape.

Complementing the database, SMIDGE is currently developing a range of counter-narrative resources aimed at promoting critical engagement and resilience among middle-aged users. These include:

• A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

• A forthcoming documentary

• A suite of micro-content (including memes, graphics, GIFs, and short videos) tailored to resonate with the target audience and combat extremist messaging.

Recent Activities and Public Engagement

SMIDGE has received increasing recognition in both academic and public spheres for its contributions to the discourse on digital radicalisation.

• The project was featured in The Guardian in an article titled “Fears for UK boomer radicalisation on Facebook after Meta drops factcheckers”, which highlighted SMIDGE as a leading initiative in addressing the issue of online extremism among older users.

• Dr. Sara Wilford of De Montfort University was interviewed by Nikkei, one of Japan’s most prominent newspapers. The resulting article offered international visibility to SMIDGE’s goals and methodologies.

• The project’s partner institution, KCSS, convened two  webinars focusing on:

  • Gaming Platforms and Radicalisation

  • Disinformation, Radicalisation and Extremism

• Over the past six months, SMIDGE has released three podcast episodes, exploring themes such as critical thinking, digital security, radicalisation dynamics, and the role of information in shaping public perception and conflict.

• Professor Kalypso Iordanou of UCLan Cyprus presented SMIDGE findings at two leading international academic conferences:

  • The 65th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society (21–24 November)

  • The Annual Conference of the Society of Judgment and Decision Making (SJDM) (22–25 November)

• In addition, KCSS published three blog articles highlighting key issues and insights from the project:

  • Charting the Rise of Far-Right Extremism: How the SMIDGE Project Informs Policy and Practice

  • Countering Conspiracies: How the SMIDGE Database Can Help Curb Dangerous Narratives

  • Facts Over Fear

As the SMIDGE Project enters its third year, the team remains dedicated to advancing research, policy engagement, and public awareness in the fight against online extremism. The continued development of analytical tools and educational resources is central to its mission of fostering digital literacy and resilience among vulnerable online populations.