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The metaverse is currently the leading hype in the digital world because of its seemingly infinite potential and possibilities. Large corporations are drawn to the metaverse because it appears as the cutting edge of digital and technological developments. The metaverse is presented by communication technology companies as the next Internet, a leap towards a universe of boundless, interconnected virtual communities. However, there are many potential risks and challenges that the metaverse raises, including technical, legal, security, business, tax, privacy, security, and users’ well-being and safety (among many others). Cyber-savvy terrorists have been highly resourceful in adapting and applying online platforms and have taken advantage of every new development, platform, and application. Based on their past record, it is reasonable to assume that the metaverse is a new dimension that terrorists and violent extremists are poised to study, examine, and possibly utilise. This research note explores some potential uses of the metaverse by terrorists and suggests preemptive measures to minimise the risks of them doing so. If the advancement of the metaverse or similar developments is inevitable, we should consider risks and abuses and think more carefully about them when moving forward.

The United States is facing an ongoing threat of political violence due to widespread anti-government sentiment that has proliferated across social media platforms. Most saliently, these violent sentiments manifested in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol during the certification of the 2020 general election. This research extends prior work on the online mobilisation to offline violence by analysing the text of online discussions leading up to the January 6 attack. We focus this examination on two central questions. First, what are the key themes and topics discussed within and across two social media platforms? Second, how did these themes and topics change over time? Focusing on two far-right anti-government online communities, we explore how support for political violence, disinformation, and electoral outcomes emerge and change over time. Our findings provide insight into possible strategies to counteract misinformation and the temporal trajectory of escalating violent sentiment within and across online communities. Further, this study highlights the importance of collecting data prospectively and demonstrates the value of automated content analysis and text data in understanding anti-government extremist sentiments.

Social media platforms have become a prominent feature in modern-day communication, allowing users to express opinion and communicate with friends and likeminded individuals. However, with this revolutionary form of communication comes risks of exploitation and utilisation of these platforms for potentially illegal and harmful means. This article aims to explore the community guidelines and policies of prominent social media sites regarding extremist material, comparing the platform’s policies with the user experiences. To measure social media user experience and user exposure to extremist material, this article pilots the use of a new scale: The Online Extremism Exposure Scale (OECE), which measures both the user’s exposure to extremist communication and hate speech online. Users reported varied levels of exposure to both hate speech and extremist communication, with. the results indicating that users in the sample are being exposed to extremist material approximately 48.44% of the time they spend on social media daily. The results of this pilot study highlight potential failings by prominent social media platforms in their efforts to reduce users being exposed to extremist material. Limitations, future research, and implications are discussed in detail.

Leakage is one of the eight warning behaviors referred to in the violence risk and threat assessment literature. Previous research has highlighted the relevance and prevalence of leakage in lone-actor terrorists; however, a more detailed understanding of this phenomenon is lacking. This study sets out to expand our knowledge of this behavior by conducting an exploratory analysis using court records relating to IS-inspired lone-actor terrorism cases in the United States. The general patterns in leakage warning behavior were analyzed, and different types of leakage were examined with regard to from whom they were leaked, how they were leaked, their presence online, and whether or not they occurred before certain types of attacks more than others. It was found that leakage in the form of support tended to be leaked most frequently to members of the public, via written text and online, whilst the leakage of intent and specifics appeared to be more regularly leaked to co-conspirators and through verbal communication that avoided the online world. Significant relationships were also found between leakage, FBI interaction and attack initiation, but no significant relationship was found between leakage and mental health. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Purpose – Violent extremism has disrupted the social harmony of many countries all over the globe. Pakistan has been marked as an extremist state, becoming one of Pakistan’s biggest challenges. This study aims to look at the strategic communication on countering violent extremism in Pakistan. Violent extremism is likely to increase in the environment marked by a culture of inadequate governance, democratic deficits, corruption, impunity against illegal acts by the nation, violation of human rights, and lack of security.

Study Design/Methodology/Approach – An exploratory research approach has been applied. For this purpose, data has been collected through literature review and electronic databases to determine the communication strategies that may counter violent extremism in Pakistan.  This is a policy paper that outlines the rise in violent extremism worldwide and how these challenges can be rectified by providing solutions.

Findings- This paper highlights the antecedents of violent extremism in Pakistan including poor and inadequate governance, lack of socio-economic opportunities, violation of human rights, lack of justice, and discrimination. The communication strategies that have been used to address violent extremism include target messaging, persuasive and power strategy, use of social media, intergovernmental communication, and education. These strategies may be applied to control violent extremism in Pakistan.

Practical Implications– Counter-violent extremism strategies have been gaining attention from policymakers and practitioners to overcome the challenges for the past few years. This research has highlighted the ways to counter violent extremism that may help policymakers to develop effective strategies and policies in the local context of Pakistan.

Originality/Novelty– This paper has synthesized a model that will help policymakers use strategic communications to counter violent extremism. It emphasized that strategic communication can be a vital element integrated into politics, and action can be taken to handle violent extremism and radicalization.