A changing digital landscape of extremism in the Nordic countries: Introduction to the special issue

Social media has changed the nature of extremism in the twenty-first century. This special issue of Nordicom Review focuses on online extremism in the Nordic countries and considers how online extremism and the associated practices, aesthetics, and communities are woven into Nordic cultures. Featuring a collection of empirical studies and theoretical reflections, the issue contributes to the fields of social media research and contemporary trends in extremism, including mainstreaming processes, hybrid threats, conspiracy theories, and a range of social media practices and phenomena, which enable shifts toward the extremes of the Nordic publics. The special issue includes six contributions, each tackling a case study anchored in national contexts and pinpointing a significant challenge in the field of extremism and social media research.