Abstract
Today’s colliding world views between West and East have resulted in phenomena such as the war in Ukraine and pro-Russia trolling in Finland. In this context, social media, understood here as a synonym for cyber, is ‘contaminated’ and has turned out to be a chaotic virtual environment that facilitates the dissemination of all kinds of propagandist lies and pseudo-truths in addition to fact-based discussion. This article leans theoretically on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) Theory of Leadership. The main argument of SDT is that human beings have an intrinsic need to explore and satisfy their curiosity. The LMX Theory of Leadership complements SDT by focusing on the relationship between leaders and their subordinates, which, for the purposes of this article, concerns the relationship between an explorer and their followers. The article poses the question: What motivates some individuals to challenge existing oppressive world views and injustices regardless of the fact that they know they will be heavily criticised as a result of their explorative journey? In addressing this question, the authors have used abductive content analysis to analyse the motivational factors and experiences of Finnish investigative journalist Jessikka Aro in relation to her exploratory journey in exposing pro-Russia trolling in Finland. The key arguments are as follows: Jessikka Aro’s main motivation for exposing pro-Russia trolling in Finland stemmed from her professional curiosity towards Russia and Russian propaganda. She did not intend to become any kind of leader or champion (‘Jedi’) for her followers (‘Starmen’) and was actually embarrassed by such labels, even if her followers might have regarded her as such. She has continued her exploratory journey in exposing pro-Russia trolling in Finland because she has been supported by her significant others (working community, family and closest friends) and generalised others (social media followers), and has managed to create new human networks, which have also encouraged her to stay on the same track. Aro contends that after publishing a number of articles and giving interviews and lectures on pro-Russia trolling in Finland, many Finns have begun to talk more openly not only about Russian propagandist trolling and pro-Russia trolling networks but also about Russia’s acts of aggression in violation of international agreements.
There’s a starman waiting in the sky.
He’d like to come and meet us, but he thinks he’d blow our minds.
There’s a starman waitingin the sky.
He’s told us not to blow it, ‘cause he knows it’s all worthwhile.
He told me: Let the children lose it.
Let the children use it.
Let all the children boogie.
(Starman David Bowie, 1972).
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- 1.
According to David Collinson, in Western societies, leadership-related issues have usually been understood in binary terms such as winners/losers, good/bad and so on. Mainstream leadership studies tend to distinguish and separate leaders from followers. The subject–object dichotomy artificially divorces ‘leaders’ (as powerful subjects) from ‘followers’ (as passive objects). A leadership-related theory such as the LMX Theory of Leadership, however, stresses that there is always a dialectical possibility of social power, and that social agents can influence social relations at all levels.
- 2.
The Zeitgeist (spirit of the times) concept has usually been connected to the German philosopher Georg Hegel, even though he did not use the term explicitly. However, he used the word Weltgeist (world spirit) explicitly in his Phenomenology of Spirit (1977 [1807]: 297). In this article, Weltgeist has been understood as a synonym for Zeitgeist.
- 3.
According to Mick Ryan and Marcus Thompson, reflexive control has made a comeback in the global communication toolbox because social media has revolutionised global communication and professional discourse. It has demonstrated a capacity for penetration that is historically unprecedented, especially compared to other means of communication. Social media users have two key features: first, they are more viral, that is, more likely to share content in their social networks, and second, they are highly mobile.
- 4.
‘Finlandisation’ was a term common during the Cold War era that referred to the policy whereby non-Communist countries under the influence of the Soviet Union remained neutral and refrained from criticising their formidable neighbour.
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Sirén, T., Huhtinen, AM. (2018). Jedi and Starmen—Cyber in the Service of the Light Side of the Force. In: Lehto, M., Neittaanmäki, P. (eds) Cyber Security: Power and Technology. Intelligent Systems, Control and Automation: Science and Engineering, vol 93. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75307-2_6
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