Given the high presence of extremist contents on the Internet, this contribution asks where and how frequently young people in Germany are confronted with such contents. A representative survey reveals great differences between young people: whereas many rather seldom notice encounters with extremism (however, while also finding it difficult to recognize it), a small group has frequent contact. Given the problematic attitude pattern of this group, one must fear a calamitous interplay of contents and attitudes which might be supportive for further (cognitive) radicalisation.

During the ‘refugee crisis’ Germany faced a controversial debate about asylum seekers and immigration policy fueled by a diffuse disenchantment with politics, brought to the streets by PEGIDA and represented in parliament by the AfD. This article examines the ideology expressed and the techniques applied by sentenced hate crime offenders in this debate on social media platforms, such as Facebook from 2011 to 2016.

The contribution deals with Rezo’s You-Tube video “Die Zerstörung der CDU” (The destruction of the CDU). Starting out from the publicly stated accusations and by way of several theoretical considerations, the article pursues the question if and in how far this much quoted video is a piece of propaganda. At the same time, by way of this example the use of framing techniques is assessed.

Despite the growing influence of the communist leadership, Social Media in China are still competitive opinion arenas. The platforms often depict an astonishingly broad spectrum of ultra-nationalist to liberal voices, each with a critical tone towards certain government policies – as the article shows in two case studies (International Forum on the Silk Road Initiative in Beijing and Crisis over Missile Tests by North Korea, both in 2017). The censorship focuses on background information and analyses, otherwise it is difficult to define clear topics or terms – with the exception of fundamental criticism of Xi Jinping or the political system of the People’s Republic of China. The fact that Beijing continues to permit limited pluralism points to different interests within the Chinese leadership.