Terrorism has entered the 21st century, and is expertly spreading its lies and propaganda in 140 characters or fewer.
Recruitment is essential for a growing organization with big plans such as ISIS. And what better group to focus recruitment on than the impressionable younger generation? ISIS is utilizing social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as YouTube and Instagram to connect and persuade young Westerners to join their cause. ISIS also runs an online magazine titled Dabiq, which is written in English and directed to non-Arab speakers. Dabiq, named after the city in Syria where the “last battle” will occur according to the Hadith, writes of a softer narrative of the terrorist organization, explaining their ideals and goals rationally and reassuringly.
The strategy of maintaining an online presence is a quite successful one, causing over 2,000 Westerners to join the cause. Although ISIS adheres to a very patriarchal way of life under Islam, their main target is women. FBI director James Comey is quoted saying ISIS is recruiting 24 hours a day in all 50 states, tending to target younger women, especially those 18 and under. ISIS is using social media as a way to connect to ideological kids that will willingly do their bidding and can be easily swayed to throw themselves full throttle into fighting for a cause. According to Karen Greenberg, director of the Center on National Security at Fordham University, “they are appealing to kids that are often the ones who seem isolated, and who are drawn to the prospect of joining a cause. And this cause is the caliphate.”
ISIS’s media center, Al-Hayat Media, also uses the technologies of the 21st century to create hi-tech propaganda. A Flame of War, a feature-length propaganda film, although crudely made, does a dangerously good job of enticing audiences worldwide. The caliphate struggles to use more distinct camera angles and scripted sentences. Like a little girl trying on her mother’s pearls, the media team for ISIS is playing dress up as a Hollywood producer for an anticipated film, rather than the amateur moving picture propaganda poster that they are actually creating. In the beheading videos that have been circulating worldwide, the masked kidnappers end their video by indicating whom their next victim will be, not unlike a cliff hanger at the end of a soap opera season finale. This gives an insight into the mindset of the terrorist group and why they use technology not only to recruit but also to spread messages of fear. The group uses cinematography to create enticing propaganda movies, where death is revered and even seen as entertaining. Similar to shows such as “Game of Thrones,” ISIS expects audiences to eat it up and barely contain their anticipation for the next installment. The danger here is that this is not a Hollywood project, actors are not paid and don’t get to go home to their families, there is no fake blood.
This isn’t a dystopian blockbuster: this is real life. Although ISIS may seem far away, based in a city that’s hard to pronounce, they’re everywhere. The Internet is an amazing way to spread information, but it’s also a great way to spread lies and propaganda.
