Studying the Impact of ISIS Propaganda Campaigns

Over the past decade, a large number of extremist and hate groups have turned to internet platforms to inspire mass violence. Currently, there is little reliable evidence on how such campaigns radicalize targeted audiences. We provide systematic, large-scale, microevidence on the effect of Islamic S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of politics Vol. 84; no. 2; pp. 1220 - 1225
Main Authors Mitts, Tamar, Phillips, Gregoire, Walter, Barbara F.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chicago The University of Chicago Press 01.04.2022
University of Chicago Press
Subjects
Campaigns
Dissemination
Extremism
Internet
Islam
Mass media effects
Media violence
Propaganda
Radicalism
Recruitment
Social media
Social networks
Supporters
Violence
extremism
computational methods
Islamic State
propaganda
social media
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Summary:Over the past decade, a large number of extremist and hate groups have turned to internet platforms to inspire mass violence. Currently, there is little reliable evidence on how such campaigns radicalize targeted audiences. We provide systematic, large-scale, microevidence on the effect of Islamic State propaganda on social media. We use several machine learning algorithms to detect recruitment messages in online propaganda, identify their dissemination on Twitter, and quantify the reactions of exposed users. Analyzing content produced by the Islamic State between 2015 and 2016 shows that propaganda conveying the material, spiritual, and social benefits of joining ISIS increased online support for the group, while content displaying brutal violence decreased endorsement of ISIS across a wide range of videos. Only the group’s most extreme supporters reacted positively to violent propaganda.
ISSN:0022-3816
1468-2508
DOI:10.1086/716281