How can seemingly harmless trends around fitness and spirituality on social media take on political meaning? And when does self-optimization tip into ideological radicalisation?

In their latest publication If a Flower Bloomed in a Dark Room, Would You Trust it? (Spector Books, 2025), Ganslmeier & Zibelnik examine these digital “rabbit holes”. On one hand, an increasingly militarised ideal of physical perfection emerges—visible, for example, in the recurring references to Arno Breker’s sculpture Bereitschaft (1939), which circulates particularly among young men. On the other hand, notions of spiritual awakening, self-empowerment, and the belief in being among the “chosen ones” continue to spread.

The book is based on extensive visual research into the imagery used by far-right online communities—especially those that deliberately employ aesthetically appealing visuals to obscure their messages and make them more widely accessible.

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