The Rage and Bonds Machine: Social Media, Misinformation, and the Rise of Radical Populism
Date: Thursday 26 March 2026 | Time: 12:30 - 13:30 (GMT)
Location: Online via Zoom
- Guest speakers
- Online viewing available
The political landscape is being reshaped – 24/7 news cycles, viral outrage and algorithm-driven echo chambers.
Join us to explore the explosive rise of radical populism and the powerful role media outlets play in fuelling it. Discuss with us how social media may be at the heart of this phenomenon and evaluate the consequences of such operational design in populism and political debates.
From Brexit to Trump, from far-right influencers to state-sponsored disinformation, rage has become a currency, and populist leaders have come on top of manipulating the media to amplify fear, division and identity politics.
Can we break the cycle or is it too late? And who is at fault – society, technology, or both?
Dr Martin Farr
Senior Lecturer in Contemporary British History, Newcastle University
With degrees in politics and history, Martin Farr teaches and researches contemporary history: the history of the present. He's broadcast and published widely, including books and articles on the First and Second world wars; British politics, parties, and elections; the media, US-UK relations, foreign and defence policy, popular culture, Margaret Thatcher, and tourism. He's been particularly engaged with the Russia-Ukraine, and the Israel-Gaza, wars, in 2024 as the global year of elections - and in British responses to them, both popular and official.
Dr Majid Khosravini
Reader in Digital Media & Discourse Studies, Newcastle University
Majid Khosravinik is a Reader in Digital Media & Discourse Studies at Newcastle University. He is interested in the intersection of social media technologies, discourse, and politics. His recent theoretical work pertains to integrative exploration of technology and discourse under the notion of techno-discursive analysis. He has published on a range of topics including right wing politics, digital populism, discourses of migration, terrorism, and politics of the Middle East.
