The roles of “old” and “new” media tools and technologies in the facilitation of violent extremism and terrorism

This chapter describes and discusses the roles of media tools and technologies in the facilitation of violent extremism and terrorism. Rather than focusing on how media report on terrorism, we investigate how extremist and terrorist groups and movements themselves have exploited various “traditional” and “new” media tools, from print to digital, outlining the significance that they have had on extremists’ ability to mark territory, intimidate some audiences, connect with other (sympathetic) audiences, radicalize, and even recruit. Underlined is that violent extremists and terrorists of all stripes have, over time, used every means at their disposal to forward their communicative goals. Also worth noting is that ‘old’ media tools are not extinct and while ‘new’ media play a prominent role in contemporary violent extremism and terrorism, ‘old’ tools—everything from murals to magazines—continue to be utilized in tandem with the former

Jihadi video and auto-radicalisation: evidence from an exploratory YouTube study

Large amounts of jihadi video content on YouTube along with the vast array of relational data that can be gathered opens up innovative avenues for exploration of the support base for political violence. This exploratory study analyses the online supporters of jihad-promoting video content on YouTube, focusing on those posting and commenting upon martyr-promoting material from Iraq. Findings suggest that a majority are under 35 years of age and resident outside the region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with the largest percentage of supporters located in the United States. Evidence to support the potential for online radicalisation is presented. Findings relating to newly formed virtual relationships involving a YouTube user with no apparent prior links to jihadists are discussed

Jihad online : how do terrorists use the internet?

Terrorism is designed to attract attention to the terrorist's cause and to spread fear and anxiety among wide circles of the targeted population. This paper provides information about the ways terrorists are using the Internet. The threat of terrorism is real and significant. As the Internet becomes a major arena for modern terrorists, we need to understand how modern terrorism operates and devise appropriate methods to forestall such activities

Book review: Des Freedman and Daya Kishan Thussu (eds), media and terrorism: global perspectives

Book Revie

Analyzing Media of ISIS, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda: Use of Cinematographic Techniques in Retributive Justice Videos

Major extremist organizations such as the Taliban, the Islamic State in al-Sham and Iraq, and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula utilize the internet to disseminate media products such as videos that promote the group’s messages to a specific audience and craft self-images. This study analyzes the videos produced by these groups that contain themes of retributive justice through a novel lens: cinematographic techniques. This study analyzes the following questions: What are some common cinematographic techniques used by these groups? What are the systematic similarities and differences between the techniques employed, and what does this say about the audience and the self-image of these groups? Is there systematic variation in the techniques used in English and foreign language videos, and how does this impact the audience? Lastly, is there evidence that Taliban and AQAP have adopted techniques that were popularized by ISIS

From al-Zarqawi to al-Awlaki: The emergence and development of an online radical milieu

Radical milieus have been described as specific social environ¬ments whose culture, narratives, and symbols shape both individuals and groups, and the social networks and relationships out of which those individuals and groups develop and emerge. Researcher Peter Waldmann and his co-authors attribute distinct and independent qualities to these environments, portraying them as social entities in their own right, that is, a collective of people sharing certain perspectives and a unitary identity: a “subculture” or a “community.” This does not mean that conflict is absent between any given radical milieu and the violent extremist or terrorist group(s) that emerges from within it. Milieus have their own interests that lead them not just to interact with, but oftentimes to criticise and sometimes even confront their violent offshoots. Perhaps most importantly, Waldmann’s conception of radical milieus appears not merely to have social relationships as a core characteristic, but necessitates, implicitly or explicitly, face-to-face interaction amongst the members of any given milieu

Visual Propaganda and Extremism in the Online Environment

Visual images have been a central component of propaganda for as long as propaganda has been produced. But recent developments in communication and information technologies have given terrorist and extremist groups options and abilities they never would have been able to come close to even 5 or 10 years ago. There are terrorist groups who, with very little initial investment, are making videos that are coming so close to the quality of BBC or CNN broadcasts that the difference is meaningless, and with access to the web they have instantaneous access to a global audience. Given the broad social science consensus on the power of visual images relative to that of words, the strategic implications of these groups’ sophistication in the use of images in the online environment is carefully considered in a variety of contexts by the authors in this collection.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1942/thumbnail.jp

Video Content Analysis of the Taliban, ISIS, and al-Qa’ida: Common Themes and the Utilization of Different Sonic Modes

Terrorist organizations, such as the Taliban, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula, produce videos to disseminate their messages. Even though there are many studies closely examining the text in jihadi videos, there are fewer studies that examine multimodal messages, specifically the audiovisual messages. This study aims to examine the audiovisual messages in videos produced by three jihadi groups: the Taliban, ISIS, and AQAP. This research attempts to answer the following strategic questions. One, what are some common themes in propaganda videos produced by the Taliban, ISIS, and al-Qa’ida? Two, how does each group utilize different Sonic Modes in common themes? Three, how do the three jihadi groups compare in their utilization of different Sonic Modes? Some of the findings include the utilization of specific common themes amongst the three groups, and these groups differ in their utilization of the audiovisual messages