Cannibalizing the Constitution: On Terrorism, the Second Amendment, and the Threat to Civil Liberties
September 18, 2023
This article explores the links between internet radicalization, access to weapons, and the current threat from terrorists who have been radicalized online. The prevalence of domestic terrorism, domestic hate groups, and online incitement and radicalization have led to considerable focus on the tension between counterterror efforts and the First Amendment. Many scholars recommend rethinking the ...
Online Radicalisation: Moving beyond a Simple Dichotomy
September 18, 2023
Online radicalisation to terrorism has become a pervasive policy concern over the last decade. However, as a concept it lacks clarity and empirical support. In this article, we add an empirical and theoretical lens to this problem by analysing the trajectories of 231 Islamic State terrorists. We use cluster analyses to create typologies of individuals’ ...
“We are Generation Terror!”: Youth‑on‑youth Radicalisation in Extreme‑right Youth Groups
September 18, 2023
Young people – politicised, active and highly connected – are no longer just passive consumers of online terrorist content by adult groomers but are themselves propaganda creators, group organisers, peer recruiters, extremist financers and terrorist convicts. This process, called “youth‑on‑youth radicalisation”, emphasises the agency that young people have in a digital era in which the ...
Mechanisms of online radicalisation: how the internet affects the radicalisation of extreme-right lone actor terrorists
September 18, 2023
How does the internet affect the radicalisation of extreme-right lone actor terrorists? In the absence of an established theoretical model, this article identifies six mechanisms seen as particularly relevant for explaining online radicalisation. Having first reviewed a larger set of relevant lone actor terrorists, the study traces these mechanisms in three selected cases where the ...
Mechanisms of online radicalisation: how the internet affects the radicalisation of extreme-right lone actor terrorists
September 18, 2023
How does the internet affect the radicalisation of extreme-right lone actor terrorists? In the absence of an established theoretical model, this article identifies six mechanisms seen as particularly relevant for explaining online radicalisation. Having first reviewed a larger set of relevant lone actor terrorists, the study traces these mechanisms in three selected cases where the ...
Mechanisms of online radicalisation: how the internet affects the radicalisation of extreme-right lone actor terrorists
September 18, 2023
How does the internet affect the radicalisation of extreme-right lone actor terrorists? In the absence of an established theoretical model, this article identifies six mechanisms seen as particularly relevant for explaining online radicalisation. Having first reviewed a larger set of relevant lone actor terrorists, the study traces these mechanisms in three selected cases where the ...
Feeling Terrified? The Emotions of Online Violent Extremism
September 18, 2023
This Element presents original research into how young people interact with violent extremist material, including terrorist propaganda, when online. It explores a series of emotional and behavioural responses that challenge assumptions that terror or trauma are the primary emotional responses to these online environments. It situates young people’s emotional responses within a social framework, revealing ...
Exploring the role of the Internet in radicalisation and offending of convicted extremists
September 18, 2023
This report presents findings from a quantitative study, which aimed to explore the role of the Internet in radicalisation and offending of 235 convicted extremists in England and Wales. ...
Radicalization in the Social Media Era: Understanding the Relationship between Self-Radicalization and the Internet
September 18, 2023
September 11th was a turning point in the understanding of terrorism and radicalization. The Internet has provided an instrumental change regarding how terrorists communicate and spread their propaganda, proving a cause of concern for counterterrorism units. The increased use of social networking platforms has provided a significant change in the process of self-radicalization, with younger ...
Social media interactions, online radicalisation and Conversation Analysis
September 18, 2023
Social media platforms have become extremely popular in the last fifteen years. Almost half of the world population has a social media account. This has made social media extremely attractive to extremist groups. Recent studies have shown that extremists use social media platforms for violent radicalisation. They take advantage of the interactional nature of these ...