ISIS’ Use of Social Media as a Terror Tactic

ISIS’ USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AS A TERROR TACTIC
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I. Introduction
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a terrorist organization that originated as an offshoot of al-Qaeda (Lieberman 2017). Since its formation in 2013, ISIS has been responsible for numerous violent attacks around the world, and it has been known for its extensive use of various tactics to achieve its terror objectives. Notably, it is common for terrorists to rely on propaganda and hate speech to spread their message, recruit new members, and justify their actions (Rapoport 2013). Nacos (2015) notes that social media has emerged as one of the tools that terrorist groups used to recruit new members for their causes. ISIS has been at the forefront of using social media for propaganda, and its use of social media has evolved significantly since its formation (Blaker 2016). The group has used social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to distribute its message, recruit new members, and coordinate attacks.
The purpose of this research essay is to explore the impact of the evolution of ISIS's utilization of social media on its operational capabilities and success in carrying out terrorist attacks. This essay will analyze the use of social media by ISIS, its impact on the group's growth and recruitment, and the role of social media in shaping the group's ideology. Additionally, this essay will examine the relationship between social media and the success of ISIS's attacks, and the efforts to counter ISIS's social media presence. Ultimately, this essay will argue that the evolution of ISIS's use of social media has significantly impacted the group's operational capabilities and success in carrying out terrorist attacks.
II. The Use of Social Media by ISIS
In the early days of the group, ISIS mainly used social media to distribute its propaganda videos, which showed the group's fighters engaging in violent acts and promoting its extremist ideology. The videos were distributed on platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Notably, Twitter was one of the significant social media platforms that were used by ISIS to conduct a pervasive media campaign. Efforts by Twitter employees to deal with ISIS’ use of Twitter by revoking some of the accounts that were involved in spreading the terrorist organization’s propaganda resulted in the CEO and some of the employees receiving death threats (Blaker, 2016). In one of the examples of media campaigns conducted on Twitter, an ally of ISIS carried out a terror attack in a Nairobi mall in September 2013 with the Twitter being used as a platform for providing an update on the attack from inside the mall. Though Twitter revoked the account, other accounts emerged almost immediately reporting on the event.
As the group expanded, it started using social media more strategically to recruit new members. ISIS's social media strategy involved using a variety of platforms to reach potential recruits, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Telegram. The group used these platforms to distribute its message and to provide potential recruits with a sense of belonging and purpose. ISIS's social media strategy was further refined in 2014 when the group established its own media arm, Al Hayat Media Center (Blaker 2016). Al Hayat Media Center produced high-quality propaganda videos and magazines, which were distributed online through social media. These videos and magazines were intended to attract recruits and promote the group's extremist ideology.
Notably, the videos produced by Al-Hayat heavily mimic Hollywood action films to attract the attention of young Westerners. To this end, the video contains music that is translated into English and other major European languages. Blaker (2016) notes that a language professor analyzing ISIS videos posted on social media described the videos to be contemporary and hip regardless of the medieval messages contained in the videos. To this end, the professor concluded that the videos were produced in such a way that they would appeal to Millennials from Western countries. In addition, the organization uses non-threatening and constructive posts to attract recruits. Blaker (2016) notes that such a case was a tweet that announced that a school would be opened in Syria for all children who speak English and offered employment opportunities for teachers. However, the message consisted of the ISIS flag and suggested that it was intended to recruit potential terrorists.
Notably, ISIS has consistently evolved its tactics to increase the effectiveness of the propaganda that it spread through social media. A study was conducted by Berger and Morgan (2015) to profile the Twitter accounts that spread ISIS propaganda using 20,000 accounts. The study showed that the terror organization had 46,000 Twitter accounts between September and December 2014, with the Twitter managing to identify and revoke more than 1,000 of the accounts affiliated with ISIS during the period (Lieberman 2017). The analysis of location data on the studied account revealed that a fifth of them had English as their primary language. Each of the accounts had more than 1,000 followers, which is considerably higher than the number of followers in a normal Twitter account (Lieberman 2017). The review also showed that the ISIS-affiliated account reported a higher level of activity than a normal Twitter user, with a small number of such accounts posting ISIS propaganda in high volume in a manner intended to maximize the reach of their messages.
Over time, ISIS's use of social media has become more sophisticated. The group has used social media to coordinate attacks, raise funds, and plan its military operations. In some cases, ISIS has even used social media to recruit operatives to carry out attacks in their home countries. Despite efforts by social media companies and law enforcement agencies to block ISIS's content and disrupt its online activities, the group has continued to use social media to spread its message and recruit new members (Lieberman 2017). While the group's territorial holdings have been largely destroyed, its use of social media continues to be a major threat to global security.
III. Social Media and ISIS's Operational Capabilities
The use of social media has been a key factor in the growth and expansion of ISIS. Social media has enabled ISIS to reach a large audience of potential recruits and supporters and to disseminate its extremist ideology to a global audience. The use of social media has enhanced ISIS’ operational capabilities in several ways. Notably, social media has facilitated terrorist organizations' ability to spread propaganda and recruit new members. To this end, ISIS’ social media strategy has been designed to appeal to disaffected individuals around the world and to provide them with a sense of belonging and purpose. Using Twitter, Facebook, and Telegram, ISIS distributes propaganda videos showing the group's fighters engaging in violent acts and promoting its extremist ideology. These videos have been highly effective in attracting recruits, especially among young people who may feel marginalized or disenfranchised in their societies. The terror group has encouraged its supporters to interact with each other online and to share their experiences and opinions. This has helped to create a sense of solidarity and belonging among supporters and has made it easier for ISIS to recruit new members.
Further, social media has also enabled ISIS to communicate and coordinate its activities more effectively. Platforms such as Twitter have made it easier for ISIS to communicate with its operatives in other countries. With the use of social media, the terror group has found it easy to raise funds and mobilize reso...