Terrorism, the Internet, Media and Radicalization

Frontiers in Psychology

This work is concerned with the extent and magnitude of threat related to online radicalization in the context of terrorist acts and related offending. Online influences have been depicted as major drivers for the propagation and adoption of extremist ideologies, which often contain an element of collective grievance, and subsequent acts of violence. This is most pronounced in the discussion of so-called lone actor terrorism, but extends to all forms of extremist offending, and beyond. The present work situates online radicalization leading to terrorist acts within the wider context of grievance-based beliefs and attitudes. Further, it addresses current positions and debates surrounding the relevance and mechanisms of online radicalization in terrorist offending. Recent evidence from quantitative studies is reviewed to estimate prevalence of online radicalization and the level of threat that results from it. This is followed by a discussion of plausible, but opposing, interpretation...

This article aims to demonstrate that a greater understanding of communication in the 21st century is essential to more effective counterterrorism. In fact, while “strategic communication” and “narratives” are advocated by many analysts as essential weapons in countering extremism, few seem to truly understand the reality of the digital-age information environment where such tools need to be deployed. To contribute to bridging this gap, the article outlines some problematic misunderstandings of the contemporary information environment, provides an alternative communication-based framework to explain radicalization, and draws some counterintuitive lessons for tackling terrorism.

This study examines differences between users and nonusers of information communication technologies (ICTs) within the pre-incident planning processes for domestic terrorist movements operating within the United States. In addition, this study is the first quantitative exploration of the prevalence, types, and purposes of ICT use within terrorist movements, specifically environmental, far-right, and Islamic extremist movements. Using "officially designated" federal terrorism investigations from the American Terrorism Study (ATS), we analyzed extracted evidence of ICT usage among individuals (n =331) engaged in the pre-incident planning processes as members of terrorist movements between 1995-2011. While we find significant differences in terrorist ICT use across terrorist movements, our findings suggest that demographics are not a strong predictor of usage. We find the highest prevalence of usage among Islamic movements. However, evidence of online radicalization or recruitment was found predominantly among environmental movements. We conclude with a discussion of these findings and their implications for counterterrorism policy.

Mc Graw Hill, 2023

Even though every society attempts to set its own criteria for identification, relationship and coexistence, human beings have never lived in such a dispersed environment. Starting with the control exerted by politics and religion throughout the Middle Ages, followed by the light shed by the Renaissance and up to the beginning of the Modern Society, decision-making lay in the hands of experienced and knowledgeable people of a certain age. Later on, in the 21st century, technology has disrupted the established standards and allowed citizens to take control of institutions. This is already a radical change in political systems and, consequently, in society itself. The advent and consolidation of “digitalization”, due to the importance of the Internet, social media and, more recently, artificial intelligence (AI), have had an impact on the worrisome radicalization processes experienced worldwide. This is because the Internet and, more specifically, social media became a sort of new agora, or public space, where young people identify with their peers –through doctrines and ideologies– and differentiate themselves from others. The social media has thus become the current space for social expression of diversity, a place to recognize differences and to advocate for inclusion in all spheres of society. However, different factors, such as alleged anonymity, have turned the digital space into the perfect scenario to promote and disseminate stereo-types and prejudices, hate speech, radicalization and violent extremism, among others. In this context, concern arises about the development of AI without the necessary ethical values considering the potential of this technology to promote hatred, racism and discrimination. This paper argues that the Internet, social media and AI are, therefore, an important field of application and study as they are one of the main hubs where hate speech is generated and disseminated, and analyzes how to curb these harmful phenomena that, although not new, are actually being absorbed by digital technologies. (Pags. 125-142). RECOMMENDED CITATION: Marcos-Recio, J.C. & Flores-Vivar, J.M. (2023) Social Media Contributes to Radicalization. How to Prevent its Expansion? En: Understanding Radicalization in Everyday Life (Edits.) Fabbri, L. & Melacarne, C. pp. 125-142. McGraw-Hill Education (Italy).

This paper looks at how the new possibilities provided by the Internet amplify and facilitate dynamics of radicalization into violent extremism (RVE), accelerate catalysts for engaging in radicalizing cognitive processes, and enable or ease access to radical discourses. It conceptualizes RVE into three components (Background factors and ‘activators,’ issues of identity, and social network mechanism) and subsequently examines the Internet’s influence in those areas. In conclusion, the paper introduces an explanatory ‘three-circles model’ for Internet-facilitated radicalization into violent extremism. The model presents a conceptual symbiosis between the vulnerable, grieving and seeking individual stimulated by Web-based content and kinship offers, and the Internet-promoted ‘capacity building’ of extremist groups.

Perspectives on Terrorism, 2022

This article seeks to re-ontologize online radicalization. Individuals becoming terrorists after being exposed to online content have become a prescient concern for academics, policy makers, and journalists. Existing theoretical contributions to the concept have assumed that there are two ontological domains-online and offline-that can be meaningfully separated. This article will draw from several arguments from other fields which critique this position; the contemporary information environment enmeshes the two inseparably. This argument is then advanced to demonstrate that online radicalization is a redundant concept by drawing on empirical research as well as recent case studies of terrorism. Instead, scholars should consider holistic theories which account for a range of other factors beyond online communication technologies.

In the vicinity of open space, some authors have called the " dark web " the perfect " breeding grounds " for generating conditions for seeds of extremism to thrive and grow. The perceived anonymity and vast information databases found here present a perfect incubator for terrorist activity. Academics and policymakers alike are as well convinced that such an open space filled with recruiter masterminds is perfectly adept at embracing the unadoptable, unconventional, or socially unfit into terrorist or jihadi organizations. Nevertheless, regardless of organizations, modernization and adoption of new technological methods in which one can obtain ideas and information, many individuals are still and to a great extent, influenced by face-to-face interactions. Intimate environments of a religious institution, somewhat of a home-like feeling in community gathering center, can equally impact a person, as can the internet and its vast informational influence. For the reason of contributing to understand the radicalization in the Global Village, this article will examine differences in online and in-person radicalization and illustrate it with some examples and attempt to make a comparison between two different exposures to information and its effects on young individuals.

2015

2019

This chapter attempts to synthesize the mainstream theories of radicalization and the cyber-psychological and behavioral approaches with a view to identifying individuals' radicalization online. Based on the intersections of those two fields, this chapter first elaborates how radical groups use cyberspace with a specific concentration on the so-called cyber caliphate claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Second, it revisits mainstream theories of radicalization and specifies the psychological and behavioral facets of the radicalization processes proposed by those theories. Following that, it integrates theories of radicalization with cyber-psychological and behavioral explanations of online radicalization to reveal how ISIS's use of cyberspace attracts individuals and facilitates online radicalization.

In this thesis, I have attempted to contribute to contemporary discourse on Daesh and around Islamic radicalisation. Through sociological understandings of New Religious Movements (NRMs), I hope to offer an alternative sociological lens through which to analyse such a controversial militant jihadi group.