ABSTRACT
This chapter observes the COVID-19 lockdown protests in Melbourne, Australia, during September 2021, which resulted in violence framed as revolt instigated by the typical ‘folk devil’, or young, working-class men. By doing so, the authors present a refreshed way of considering the mechanisms of igniting moral panic. Namely, that traditional moral panic theory insufficiently accounts for the way in which amplification operates. In an era of increased digitisation, a transformed media landscape accelerates amplification and, through the dissemination of disinformation, creates a space for folk devils to control the narrative and promote their interests. Furthermore, this chapter explores the dichotomous role of the news media as both the guardian of societal values and, at times, an ally in the co-option of folk-devil-derived panic, to mobilise. Last, it considers how we might revisit the concept of the ‘folk devil’ and how that term in and of itself can be weaponised by those seeking to portray themselves as outsiders to public discourse.
