A Bibliometric Analysis of Radicalization through Social Media

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to synthesize the literature relating to radicalization on social media, a space with enhanced concerns about nurturing propaganda and conspiracies for violent extremism. Through the systematic review of 82 peer-reviewed studies related to radicalization through social media published in scholarly journals, this paper evidence the growth of robust studies on the usage of social media for radicalization. Nonetheless, the current work hardly discusses the radicalization issues through social media and reveals an increasing trend of publication from 2017 with a major contribution from the USA, Germany, and England. The thematic analysis indicated determinants of radicalization and the mitigation measures for the deradicalization of content on social media. However, the knowledge gap persists to understand the effects of radicalization in the different regional settings and further framing of content specific to target populations. Individuals must have the critical social media literacy to counteract the rising radicalization through social media. Individual users’ political interests are key factors in their radicalization such as citizens losing faith in the government and political parties. Active rather than passive searchers of violent radical material are more likely to engage in political violence. The results indicate that further research using experimental design, grounded theory, and pilot interventions may be relevant to suggest a solution to mitigate radicalization on social media.

Warning signs of advanced Islamic radicalization

“…Also, another proposed indicator consists of the person suddenly changing from showing little or even no interest in religion to vehement and absolutist views in relation to religious interpretations (Webb 2017). Also, particularly important aspects to consider are the ways of expressing radical beliefs, namely the online environment, a fact highlighted by the numerous cases of radicalization and selfradicalization through virtual means (online social media platforms, video games) used as a tool, mainly with the acceleration of the impact of technologies on society (Akram and Nasar 2023). Thus, the most common signals that indicate radicalization in the online environment as the materialization and expression of radical beliefs BULLETIN have been identified as the dissemination of violent materials with hateful content and radical speech, as well as photos and videos of extreme violence that promote extermination of social, religious, or national categories, and, on the other hand, the use of extremist language containing expressions from pro-ISIS or anti-European, anti-Semitic, or anti-American rhetoric (Rowe and Saif 2016).…”

Multilingual Text Preprocessing and Classification For The Detection Of Extremism And Radicalization In Social Networks

“…They can also deceive the public, particularly young people, by in uencing public narratives, controlling their behavior, and pressuring them to embrace certain political ideologies while rejecting others. Due to their increased likelihood of coming across extremist and hateful information online, young people, especially those between the ages of 15 and 24, are more susceptible to becoming radicalized (Akram and Nasar 2023). This study aims to identify extremist and radical posts on social media by applying machine learning techniques to prevent radicalization and the spread of extremism among young and vulnerable people.…”

A Comprehensive Survey of Detection and Prevention Approaches for Online Radicalization: Identifying Gaps and Future Directions

“…Prevention surveys: AKRAM et al [49], in their survey, discussed prevention strategies for extremist content and its spread based on an educational approach. They conducted an in-depth analysis of over 80 articles that employed mitigation strategies.…”