Publicity and communication strategy are inextricably linked to successful, widespread terrorist recruitment. A symbiotic relationship between terrorist organizations and traditional media increases publicity, but predominant... [ view full abstract ]
Publicity and communication strategy are inextricably linked to successful, widespread terrorist recruitment. A symbiotic relationship between terrorist organizations and traditional media increases publicity, but predominant emphasis on violence, radicalism and unstable territory typically generates animosity towards terrorists, as opposed to sympathy and excitement to join. Globalization and modern communication technology now enable terrorist organizations to both supplement negative publicity with persuasive propaganda, and reach a diverse, global population of impressionable individuals.
Individuals join terrorist organizations as a result of either push factors, the aversive social, cultural and political features of an environment that direct them towards a path of violent extremism, or pull factors, the perceived benefits of an extremist organization that allure vulnerable targets. In 2014, ISIS, arguably the most destructive, feared and expansive terrorist organization today, obtained 4,500 international fighters. 474 fighters came from the West, a cohort of individuals not typically susceptible to radicalization. This project aims to provide empirical evidence to support the argument that new media, if used effectively to promote pull factors, causes an increase in Western recruitment. If the comprehensive content analysis of ISIS’s easily accessible and widely circulated online magazine Dabiq depicts an emphasis on unique pull factors such community, heroism, charity and other civil society benefits, then I can draw a causal link between new media use and Western recruitment.
