Fatal portraits: The selfie as agent of radicalization

Abstract

For the modern-day jihadist, the digital self-portrait or, more specifically, battlefield selfie is a popular tool for identity building. Similarly to the selfies taken by non-violent practitioners of self-capture culture, the jihadist selfie represents an alternative to the Cartesian formulation of a unitary and indivisible self. Rather, it is a product of social relations and performative actions, constituted in dialogue with others through very specific socio-cultural frameworks and expectations. However, unlike its non-violent Doppelgänger, the expectations of this dialogue are centred around a larger political agenda which actively seeks to reformat collective memories of imperial Islamic conquests and co-opt religion as a way to impose a moral order on its violence. Importantly, the battlefield selfie allows the jihadist easily to traverse the boundaries between two seemingly opposing belief systems. Although there exists a wealth of scholarship of self-capture culture, image sharing sites and micro-celebritism, their pervasive influence and practice on battlefield is understudied. This article draws from the personal histories of key Islamic extremists who were both lionized and demonized as a result of their battlefield micro-influencer practices. Today, however, the same individuals can achieve internet fame by participating in self-capture culture – posting selfies, videos or blogging. In other words, never before has a soldier’s public communication been so personal yet collective.

Semiotics 2021: The year in review

“…Faces in the digital sphere, then, pose significant problems, and several diverse papers tackle these in this special issue. Søren Vigild Poulsen investigates deepfakes in "Face off -a semiotic technology study of software for making deepfakes" (2021); Federico Biggio (2021) focuses on augmented reality facial effects; Kristian Bankov explicitly tackles the problem of trust in "Face and trust: A semiotic inquiry into influencers, money, and amygdala" (2021); Vincenzo Idone Cassone (2021) studies Pokémon, Japanese animated characters, and the emergence of playful visual animism; Peter Mantello (2021) views the selfie as an agent of radicalization. 4 Considering all the diverse problems tackled in the special issue, we are led to the conclusion that although the face is a very simple abstract machine of white wall/black holes, its abstract nature renders it intensely problematic.…”