Christgram – White Christian Extremist Communities on Telegram Jakob Guhl (Institute for Strategic Dialogue)
Abstract: One of the key platforms on which violent extreme right communities today network and share propaganda or instructional material is the messaging-app Telegram. This presentation will focus on “Christgram” sub-communities within Terrorgram which have so far mostly been overlooked by the research community or journalists who cover online extremism. For these communities, white Christian identity plays an important role in constructing an identity, helping it to clearly distinguish between in-group and out-group. The focus of the presentation will be on the visual style, iconography, music, historical narratives and scriptural references shared within Christgram communities. While these elements often do not serve any immediate political purpose, they reflect the wider cultural background and preferences of these communities. Given the apparently renewed interest by some extreme right groups in Christianity, more attention should be paid to the use of religious language, aesthetics and references to scripture to justify violence, interpret history and contemporary society and provide advice to the movement’s adherents. Election Manipulation in Brazil’s 2022 General Elections: The Role of WhatsApp and Telegram on the Attacks Against Electoral Integrity and the Threats to Democracy Dr Débora Salles (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) [Co-author: Dr Lorena Regattieri (Just and Sustainable Technologies Consultant)] Abstract: This case study embarks on a rigorous examination of Brazil’s 2022 general elections, unveiling an orchestrated playbook of election manipulation. The core focus is the deliberate insinuation of fraud in the electoral system, fuelled by meme wars, political propaganda, participatory crowds and a sophisticated networked manipulation cycle meticulously woven through WhatsApp groups and Telegram groups and channels. In addition to comprehending the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of these manipulations, we discuss the practical implications of such strategies on electoral campaign regulation, exploring how Brazil’s electoral commission, the Superior Electoral Court (Tribunal Superior Eleitoral - TSE) had attempted to contain the spiral of disinformation and how technical affordances of WhatsApp and Telegram can be instrumentalized in upcoming electoral cycles around the world. Ultimately, this study delves into the broader objective of discrediting democratic values and diminishing public participation.
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