Algorithms at your service: understanding how X's systems of recommendation likely fuelled the far-right riots in the UK by amplifying visual representations of racist conspiracy theories

The 2024 riots in the United Kingdom have been widely attributed to the mainstreaming of the far right and the spread of fake news regarding the Southport attack. While much attention has been paid to the influence exercised by fake news, little has been said about the role of racist conspiracy theories linked to violent extremism and terrorism. This article addresses this gap using mixed methods to examine how X’s recommendation systems likely fuelled the riots by amplifying visual representations of the great replacement and white genocide conspiracy theories. In addition to showing how algorithms increased the visibility of posts featuring images (particularly those created with AI) and videos representing racist conspiracy theories, this article explores how these posts likely fuelled the riots by appealing to a crusading mentality that projected White/European men as morally entitled to defend Britain, animating racist fantasies deeply entrenched in the Western collective unconscious.