DigiTrad Critical Media Studies Lecture Series | Piotr Marczynski (Université Libre de Bruxelles)

INFORMATION

Research into online communities resists easy methodological fixes. Defining the contour of the ‘community’ carries problems on its own, let alone situating it within the broader hybrid media ecosystem in which platform and legacy media intersect. This talk proposes a networked analytic approach that integrates social network analysis (SNA) with digital ethnography and discourse analysis as a coherent, transferable design for media studies research. Rather than treating SNA as a standalone computational technique, the talk situates it within a broader mixed-methods framework, while reflecting on what is gained and lost by approaching communities this way. The approach is grounded and illustrated through original research on the “Barbarian Right”, a far-right subculture on X (formerly Twitter), which embeds reactionary ideology into health and wellness content. This case brings the method to life while opening broader questions about the rightward shift of Big Tech and proliferating online radicalization channels for young men.

SPEAKER

• Piotr Marczynski | Website

COORDINATES

• Date: Wednesday, 02.04.2026
• Time: 14:00 – 15:00
• Place: MSA 3.120
• Webex: https://unilu.webex.com/unilu/j.php?MTID=m3fe0b7acb5fb1423af70cc3ea54422af