Thread by @SimonCopland

It is really clear that having a sense of community and belonging was central to so many involved in the #ConvoyToCanberra. #auspol

It's not surprising, but it is interesting, and can tell us a lot about what happened/will continue to happen. 1/24

In my PhD I am studying online manosphere groups as an example of an "intimate public".

Intimate publics are groups who bond over a shared world-view and "emotional knowledge". Connection is not just about ideology, but also a joint feeling about their position in the world. 2/

Notably therefore, intimate publics aren't just about politics, but also about the mundane. The difference between a social movement where people come together solely about a political goal, and a social movement where people are also seeking deep connection through that goal. 3/

Actually intimate publics are often actively anti-politics. While they often bond over issues (hence the public nature), they reject politics as a space and solution. Change comes through the sheer power of their emotional connection. 4/

I really think the convoy is an excellent example of such an intimate public, and thinking about it this way can tell us a lot about how it operated and where it may go for here. 5/

A sense of community was central to the convoy. Participants spoke about this being the best time of their lives. They loved the camp, the sharing of food, the dancing, the connections they made with others who had a similar sense of the world and their position within it. 6/

Others spoke about finally being heard and believed. They feel ostracised by the rest of society. Intimate publics operate through sharing these experiences, with the joint emotions of it creating bonds between individuals. This is very powerful. 7/

For example, at the protest one speaker asked the crowd "how many of you have lost friends over your views". Everyone put their hand up. I felt a sense of shared recognition as everyone saw others who had been through the same thing they had been. It was quite powerful. 8/

Intimate publics actively encourage this. People are actively encouraged to break bonds with those who don't agree and to center their entire lives around the intimate public. It becomes their whole world. 9/

This then becomes self reinforcing. The intimate public becomes and 'in group' who bond over their opposition to the 'out group' (the Government, ppl who are vaccinated etc.). Whatever the 'out group' says is just more evidence of how distrustful they are. 10/

The other way intimate publics operate is through creating shared knowledge, which emboldens their joint world-view. This is so clear in these movements, who use doctors, nurses etc etc. to give authority to their arguments. They center this knowledge over all else. 11/

One of the ways they do this is constantly attacking the media. The mainstream media are attached to the 'out group' and in turn cannot be believed. It makes it much easier to disbelieve mainstream stories, as these are just seen as part of 'fake news'. 12/

The point with all of this is that if we want to understand these movements we need to understand group dynamics. This is about *A LOT* more than simply people being duped into disinformation. 13/

The camp was the most central part of this movement. Without it it wouldn't have been so strong. It is why it is now the central point of tension. People are not just fighting for their ideas, but also holding onto the feeling of the camp itself. 14/

Some of that stuff is extremely distressing, particularly in the 24 hours as a few have tried to hold on. They feel under siege, like they're about to lose the only thing that actually means anything to them. 15/

It's even more depressing that the leaders have cut and run. They made promises that they would stay there until they won. But the grifters have boosted their profile and that is all they need. I imagine many suddenly feel very deserted. 16/

I think it will also be very hard for many now they've gone home. While they will certainly try another event, getting back what happened over the weekend will be tough. But that feeling of belonging will provide a lot more impetus for them to try. 17/

Finally, thinking about this movement as an intimate public should very much influence how we (the pro-vaxxers) respond to it.

I have two big thoughts on that. 18/

1.) Even though it is tough we should all do as much as we can to stay connected with any anti-vaxx family or friends we have. We want to keep those people in the fold, at least somewhat, so the anti-vaxxers don't become their whole world. 19/

Research consistently finds that having other social networks is key for people getting out of extremist groups. It gives them another place to land. We need to keep/build that for people. 20/

2.) It's really clear that trying to fight people based on 'facts' or ideology doesn't work. Calling them names (i.e. cookers) also achieves basically nothing. We get to feel superior, but it actually just pushes them further into the movements. 21/

What's better is to provide stronger alternative narratives. Find areas of commonality (i.e. the Government is shit), but direct that energy elsewhere. We need to build a better vision of the world. 22/

It's a tough thing to manage, and there are some lines in the sand we wouldn't cross. I'm not expecting people to stay friends with others if they are abusive for example.

But building stronger alternatives is the best way to stop people heading in these directions. 23/

Anyway, there are some thoughts. We have to take community and belonging really seriously when looking at these movements. I would say it's actually more important than the ideology itself - both in thinking about why they form and in how we respond. 24/