Terrorism: The Use of Social Media
Abstract: This study examines the ways terrorists have used social media. It explains how terrorist propaganda is spread all over the internet. It explains how terrorist groups are recruiting new fighters via social media, with a special focus on westerners. The study also discusses how terrorists can communicate using social media platforms that have increased encryption. The study also discusses how terrorists have used social media to achieve their attention-seeking goals.
The study also reveals some of the complementary functions of dark web that can be used to achieve goals not possible on social media. The study concludes with recommendations for aggressive actions that users, governments, and social media platforms can take to end terrorism on social media and the internet.
1. Introduction
The world has seen a sharp rise in social media usage over the past decade. Facebook boasts a user base of around 2 billion, while Instagram and Twitter are on track to get half that number. Social connections are the main reason behind all these social media networks being created. Facebook has an ambitious plan to connect all of the world. It plans to do this by using drones that will deliver internet access to remote areas in third world countries.
Internet users have many benefits from social media networks. They allow people to keep in touch with their loved ones in a more cost-effective and convenient way than traditional telephony. Because they connect a wide range consumers, they can also be used for marketing purposes. Social media platforms have enabled companies to profile users and allow them to advertise to specific consumers around the globe. These platforms allow users to quickly access information. Traditional media was associated with delays because news moved slowly between media outlets. Today, any information posted on social media can be seen by other users in real-time.
Despite the positive uses of social media, there are new problems. Terrorist groups have begun to use these platforms to establish themselves and communicate their activities. They are taking advantage the interconnectedness of the globe right now through these platforms and using it to advance their interests. Live streaming of terrorist attacks has been made available to social media users. These platforms have allowed millions of users to see recordings of executions and other inhumane acts. Social media has been flooding with advertisements for recruitment. Social media users are able to hear the blind beliefs of terrorists and find them appealing. Some people have fallen for this trap and made the dangerous decision to join terrorist organizations. Through easily accessible radicalization material, social media has provided a new breeding ground to Muslim extremists.
The terrorists have been using social media more frequently in recent years. There have been attacks motivated by social media, or their effects amplified by the dissemination of information on these platforms. Obama, the former US President, admitted that online extremism was responsible for an attack on a gay club in Orlando in June 2016. Omar Mateen, who was later identified as Omar Mateen said that Mateen was inspired by so-called “jihadist” material found on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites. The messages Mateen posted on his Facebook page before the attack were even more chilling.
He claimed that his attack was to support the Islamic State terrorist group, and that the US must be prepared for more attacks. Further investigation revealed that Mateen had multiple Facebook profiles that he used for making po
