Stephen Downes

As someone who observed the same phenomena over a lifetime, I can say this is an accurate (if brief) history of the origins of the online extreme right in things like 4chan, Pepe the Frog, and dog-e-coin. "We have an obligation," says Charlie Angus, "to address the economic, political, and environmental dispossession that has left young people with little hope or opportunity." Quite right. But also, we have to meet young people in their own spaces. It's not enough to argue "nobody should be using social media (or artificial intelligence, or whatever the current tech happens to be)." It's not enough to say "these technologies are bad and ethically wrong" and then to disengage. If there is no voice to speak for tolerance and understanding, there will be none. "It comes down to our willingness to take time to mentor and encourage," says Angus.