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Photo Source: Cvetkovska, S. (2 November 2021). Trump and COVID-19 Fuel North Macedonia’s Clickbait Boom. Resonate Voices Initiative. https://resonantvoices.info/trump-and-covid-19-fuel-north-macedonias-clickbait-boom/.
One of the primary uses of the Internet by terrorists is for the dissemination of propaganda. Propaganda is the systemic dissemination of information, especially in a biased or misleading way, in order to promote a political/social cause or point of view. The promotion of violence is a common theme in terrorism-related propaganda, and it generally takes the form of multimedia communications providing ideological or practical instruction, explanations, justifications or promotion of terrorist activities. These may include virtual messages, presentations, magazines, treatises, audio and video files and video games developed by terrorist organizations or sympathizers. Internet propaganda may also include content such as video footage of violent acts of terrorism or video games developed by terrorist organizations that simulate acts of terrorism and encourage the user to engage in role-play, by acting the part of a virtual terrorist.
Other objectives of terrorist propaganda may include the use of psychological manipulation to undermine an individual’s belief in certain collective social values, or to propagate a sense of heightened anxiety, fear or panic in a population or subset of the population. This may be achieved through the dissemination of disinformation, rumors, threats of violence or images relating to provocative acts of violence. The intended audience may include direct viewers of content, as well as those affected by potential publicity generated by such material.
Extremists use context-specific propaganda to reach and influence audiences. It is more effective when:
- Displayed in a local language. This is especially relevant for members of the diaspora feel comfortable with, i.e., German or English.
- Creates a role model that recruits can identify with. ISIS created role models for women, which did not exist before.
- Sharing images or rhetoric with a negative connotation associated towards a particular group. Often in Europe, there is the spread of different negative images from Islam and Muslims.
- Online content dissemination of violence abuse amongst teenagers and young adults that encourage change to cultural and social norms.
- Daily interaction with violence in video games, movies, comics, etc. creates an essence of violence normality.
Insights fear of the ‘other.’
Let's look at an example:
Photo Source: Al Hayat Media Center
The ISIS recruitment video titled “No Life Without Jihad,” was released by the Al Hayat Media Center, which is an ISIS-affiliated group focused on recruiting Muslims in western countries.
The 13-minute video features a British and Australian man — sitting next to other alleged ISIS members — who identifies himself as Brother Abu Muthanna al Yemeni extolling the virtues of jihad. He encourages foreign Muslims “to answer the call of Allah and his messenger when he calls you to what gives you life…what he says gives you life is jihad.”
Let's look at what tactics were used in creating this video:
- Creates a role model that recruits can identify with, as well as shares positive aspects to joining the group: The video encourages ‘loyal’ followers to come to the Middle East to ‘reconquer Muslim land’ and allows viewers to hear and see first-hand the ‘glamorization’ of life by those have been actively engaged in the extremist organization. The video also features foreign fighters from Western nations who have joined the group.
- The “message to the brothers who have stayed behind” is a strong, sustained, and emotional appeal to Western Muslims to join ISIS immediately, and seeks to remove every possible excuse, such as work, family, comfort, for not going. The video connects the need for immediate sacrifice for the sake of suffering Muslims in Syria to a long-awaited millenarian hope.
- Displayed in a local language: The video was shared on accounts in German and French - allowing the video to be understood by, and targeted to, a larger audience.
Another tactic used by violent extremists is through spreading online hate speech. Hate speech covers many forms of expressions which advocate, incite, promote or justify hatred, violence and discrimination against a person or group of persons for a variety of reasons. As more and more people have moved online, experts say, individuals inclined toward racism, misogyny, or homophobia have found niches that can reinforce their views and goad them to violence. Social media platforms also offer violent actors the opportunity to publicize their acts. Hate speech on the internet is not a new phenomenon, but rather the digitalization of cultural backlash politics against processes of cultural change and progress.
Hate speech can also be derived from far-right groups. For instance, created in Britain in 2017 as an alternative to YouTube, BitChute has become notorious for videos promoting racism, hate and Holocaust-denial. In the Summer of 2020, twenty of the most popular videos on the platform were a mix of extreme racist propaganda and harmful disinformation, mostly originating from QAnon and anti-vaxxer groups. The site is used throughout the Western Balkans, with individuals sharing content from BitChute, including translated videos that claim the COVID-19 pandemic is fake and the vaccines dangerous, have also taken part in protests against COVID-19 restrictions imposed by authorities in Bosnia and elsewhere in the Balkan region. In Serbia and Croatia, they have joined protests against migrants and refugees and LGBTQ rights.
Extremist groups are using conspiracy theories and other content on far-right channels as a tool to recruit followers and spread radical agendas, abusing the insecurity, fear, socioeconomic problems and mental health issues of vulnerable individuals.
What are some examples of online hate speech inspiring acts of violence?
- Extremist propaganda displays the war in Bosnia as an attack by the West on the Islamic world, thereby establishing a direct connection to Islamist ideology in the interpretation of the conflict.
Online hate speech targets Iraqi journalists and activists leading to targeted threats directly inciting violence against them.
Photo Source: Civil Media. “TikTok fight for inter-ethnic and political struggle.” 2020. https://civilmedia.mk/tik-tok-tepachka-za-meguetnichka-i-politichka-presmetka/.
During the summer and fall of 2020, a new trend highlighting the region’s conflicts emerged in the Balkans. In these videos, a group of people walk along a street. A bully appears, harassing them. Suddenly, a friend emerges to fight off the bully. Different users attach different flags to the bully and to the savior. The flag reflects the user’s view of conflict and cooperation in the Balkans. In one video, the group consists of Kosovo and Macedonia, with Serbia as the bully and Albania the savior. In another combination, Albania is the bully and Serbia is the defender. The cathartic part of the video is accompanied by dramatic music, reinforcing the message.
Have you noticed or seen any of the tactics described above? If so, how did you know? How did it make you feel?
