Islamic terrorism in the age of social media : lone-offender terrorism

Abstract

The study of terrorism is a complex, diverse, and contingent phenomenon. As an act of strategic communication, terrorism was employed by groups or networks seeking to coerce, or intimidate, a state’s government for ideological, political, or religious aims. Technologically revolutionized communication in the twenty-first century has facilitated the evolution of terrorism. The effect of communication technologies in general, and social media in particular, has challenged previous standards of communication in favour of inclusive, borderless, interconnected, and global networks. Whereas terrorists of the past relied on fanatical displays of violence to amass a global audience, terrorists of today rely on their propaganda campaigns disseminated via social media sites. The proximity of the historically Christian states in the north and the historically Muslim, Arab states in the south has created a region of intercultural migration and settlement. Decolonization and rebuilding in the 1960s saw the movement of Arab migrants from the Maghreb region to the north, resulting in a large Muslim minority throughout Europe. These European states remain polarized as some sects, who follow the religion and ideology of Islam, struggle to reside in Western society. Today, some Arab migrants and their children feel abandoned and neglected by their European state. This disenfranchisement makes certain people sensitive to radicalization as they find solace in the uniform, manufactured, extremist rhetoric of Islamic militancy. The following dissertation will investigate the relationship between lone-offender Islamic terrorism and social media in the Euro-Mediterranean region. A case study analysis of three episodes of lone-offender Islamic terrorism will be presented to investigate the co-dependent relationship Islamic terrorist networks of today have with social media platforms. In order to combat Islamic terrorism in general, and lone-offender terrorism in particular, the ideology of Islamic militancy must be investigated to ascertain the common precondition and precipitant triggers for radicalization. Understanding the variable process of radicalization demands analysis of social media platforms as they have become the most popular medium used by terrorist networks to disseminate material that seeks to attract, galvanize, polarize, and ultimately spread its narrative of Islamic militancy. Counter-terrorism in the digital age is combating the effect of social media as it has aided the manifestation of a jihadi ideology that fosters in-group love, leading jihadists to believe they are participating in a form of asymmetrical warfare.