Introduction to the Special Issue: Terrorist Online Propaganda and Radicalization

Abstract

The Internet is a transformative technology that terrorists are exploiting for the spread of propaganda and radicalizing new recruits. While al-Qaeda has a longer history, Islamic State is conducting a modern and sophisticated media campaign centered around online social networking. This article introduces and contextualizes the contributions to this Special Issue by examining some of the ways in which terrorists make use of the Internet as part of their broader media strategies.

Islam and Mass Media Consumption in Post-Migration Contexts among Women from Northern Africa in Catalonia (Spain)

“…With regards to internet content, there is serious concern about the presence of religious leaders who, under the guise of a modern appearance, seem to be able to easily influence people with little education who seek information online. Terrorist online propaganda and radicalization was not considered as an important subject in our work, but the results showed it deserves to be studied [5]. In digital social networks, Muslim women tend to share religious information, but, for safety reasons, they do so within closed groups.…”

Psychological and Behavioral Examinations in Cyber Security

“…Currently almost one-third of the world's population uses smart phones , Facebook has more than 2 billion active users , and Twitter has 328 million monthly users . Considering the transformative characteristic of internet technologies, and the facilitating role of social media platforms for communication and influence, it seems unsurprising that radical groups embraced those opportunities for the same reasons as other groups (Aly, et al, 2017). If one construes terrorism as a type of communication (Schmid and de Graaf, 1982) or as a form of "communicative violence" (Aly, et al, 2017), then disseminating propaganda messages to attract the masses and gain sympathizers/new recruits are central to it.…”

“…Considering the transformative characteristic of internet technologies, and the facilitating role of social media platforms for communication and influence, it seems unsurprising that radical groups embraced those opportunities for the same reasons as other groups (Aly, et al, 2017). If one construes terrorism as a type of communication (Schmid and de Graaf, 1982) or as a form of "communicative violence" (Aly, et al, 2017), then disseminating propaganda messages to attract the masses and gain sympathizers/new recruits are central to it. Hence, this aspect of internet technologies which is prone to abuse became a golden opportunity for radical groups that hinge on communication due to the aforementioned reasons.…”

Socialización y radicalización política en militantes del Partido Comunista del Perú–Sendero Luminoso (PCP-SL)

“…Finalmente, a nivel microsocial o individual se encuentran los factores psicosociales racionales, emocionales y normativos, tendientes a la radicalización política ( Jordán, 2009: 201), los cuales sintetizan los niveles anteriores y han sido abordados por distintas investigaciones (Moyano, 2010;Botha, 2014;Veldhuis y Staun, 2009;McCauley y Moskalenko, 2017;Aly et al 2016;Kleinmann, 2012;Horgan, 2005). Los aspectos racionales se entienden como las decisiones resultantes de un cálculo costo-beneficio y en correspondencia con una determinada estrategia.…”