<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>This paper presents a case study of the German neo-fascist network <bold>The Immortals</bold> (<bold>Die Unsterblichen</bold>) who in 2011 performed a flash-mob, which was disseminated on YouTube for the so-called “Become Immortal” campaign. The street protest was designed for and adapted to the specific characteristics of online activism. It is a good example of how new contentious action repertoires in which online and street activism intertwine have also spread to extreme right groups. Despite its neo-fascist and extreme right content, the “Become Immortal” campaign serves as an illustrative case for the study of mediated and mediatized activism.</p>
<p>In order to analyze the protest form, the visual aesthetics and the discourse of <bold>The Immortals</bold>, the paper mobilizes three concepts from media and communication studies: <bold>media practice, mediation, and mediatization</bold>. It will be argued that the current transformation and modernization processes of the extreme right can be conceptualized and understood through the lens of these three concepts.</p>
</abstract>

This paper presents a case study of the German neo-fascist network The Immortals (Die Unsterblichen) who in 2011 performed a flash-mob, which was disseminated on YouTube for the so-called “Become Immortal” campaign. The street protest was designed for and adapted to the specific characteristics of online activism. It is a good example of how new contentious action repertoires in which online and street activism intertwine have also spread to extreme right groups. Despite its neo-fascist and extreme right content, the “Become Immortal” campaign serves as an illustrative case for the study of mediated and mediatized activism.
In order to analyze the protest form, the visual aesthetics and the discourse of The Immortals, the paper mobilizes three concepts from media and communication studies: media practice, mediation, and mediatization. It will be argued that the current transformation and modernization processes of the extreme right can be conceptualized and understood through the lens of these three concepts.

Become Immortal!

Aarhus University and is involved in the research project “The Democratic Public Sphere”

Conjunctions

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Mediatization and mediation processes of extreme right protest

This paper presents a case study of the German neo-fascist network The Immortals (Die Unsterblichen) who in 2011 performed a flash-mob, which was disseminated...

Become Immortal!

Published Online: Mar 30, 2021

Page range: 133 - 152

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7146/tjcp.v2i1.22274

Keywords
Right-wing extremism, neo-fascism, protest action, mediation, mediatization, ethno-nationalism

© 2021 Rikke Alberg Peters, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Become Immortal!

Published Online: Mar 30, 2021

Page range: 133 - 152

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7146/tjcp.v2i1.22274

KeywordsRight-wing extremism, neo-fascism, protest action, mediation, mediatization, ethno-nationalism

© 2021 Rikke Alberg Peters, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Right-wing extremism, neo-fascism, protest action, mediation, mediatization, ethno-nationalism