The ANU Australian Studies Institute (AuSI) have officially released the first book in their new 'Australia & the World' Book Series in partnership with ANU Press.

The Australia and the World book series was established by AuSI and ANU Press to promote the study of Australia, share research and bring an Australian perspective to comparative, transnational and international projects. The Editorial Board includes members from a wide range of disciplines to reflect the multidisciplinary mission of AuSI and the Australia and the World series. The Board welcome manuscripts with a focus on the study of Australia, or comparative research involving Australia, from a wide range of academic fields.

'Rethinking Social Media and Extremism' was launched on Wednesday 10 August 2022 by ANU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Brian P. Schmidt AC.

“It is a fascinating insight to the evolution of extremism in the last century – and is incredibly topical when looking at the shifting geopolitical landscape in Taiwan and Ukraine; as well as the rise of social media as a powerhouse of connection and disruption.”

- Professor Brian P. Schmidt AC

Edited by Professor Shirley Leitch and Professor Paul Pickering, this bold new book includes 9 interdisciplinary chapters from various ANU scholars, offering a broad range of perspectives on violent extremism online and how to stop it.

1. Rethinking social media and extremism
   Shirley Leitch and Paul Pickering
2. The making of a 'made for social media' massacre
   Shirley Leitch
3. Becoming civic actors
   Sally Wheeler
4. Hate the player, not the game: Why did the Christchurch shooter's video look like a game?
   Robert Fleet
5. Brand Lone Wolf: The importance of brand narrative in creating extremists
   Andrew Hughes
6. 'Clumsy and flawed in many respects': Australia’s abhorrent violent material legislation
   Mark Nolan and Dominique Dalla-Pozza
7. Coarse and effect: Normalised anger online as an essential precondition to violence
   Mark Kenny
8. Performances of power — the site of public debate
   Katrina Grant
9. Crisis, what crisis?
   Terhi Nurmikko-Fuller and Paul Pickering

“Social media dominates global communication but is arguably less regulated than your local newspaper. In the absence of rules and norms, it has been adopted by trolls, criminals and violent extremists of every persuasion. Our new book, Rethinking Social Media and Extremism, maps our path to this dangerous present and proposes solutions. We hope it sparks fundamental change to social media while preserving the democratic potential of the internet.”

- Professor Shirley Leitch, Emeritus Professor, ANU Australian Studies Institute