BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

RADICALISATION THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA: A SALIENT FEATURE OF MODERN TERRORISM

Author: Khawaja Masnoon Zayeeem

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2016v37n4a5

ABSTRACT

The world is witnessing an era of globalisation, the influence of which cannot be ignored by anybody. Effects of globalisation have also influenced the evolution of modern terrorism. With the advent of modern technologies in various fields, the violent extremist groups have been using them to their own advantage and expanding their activities at a rapid pace. One of the major contributions of the modern communication technology is the development of Social Media Sites. The global militant groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have been using the social media platforms to further strengthen their operations, especially in their propaganda mechanisms and radicalisation process to recruit new members. With this changing scenario, radicalisation through social media emerges as a big challenge for the counterterrorism forces around the world to face the growing threat of modern terrorism. The situation requires the counterterrorism strategies to be re-evaluated and amended in a way that is adaptable to the changing tactics used by the militant groups. The paper tries to critically analyse the use of social media in the radicalisation and propaganda efforts by the violent extremist groups as well as the changes brought into the contemporary terrorism through this phenomenon. The paper also tries to relate the strengths and weaknesses of the global counterterrorism strategies with these changes to formulate some pragmatic policy recommendations.