Terrorism has emerged as one of the primary challenges facing global security agencies. The impact of these heinous acts is far-reaching as they affect the vital pillar of society, and more so, create a high level of anxiety and fear. The terror attack of September 2001 in the U.S ushered in a new epoch on how the society views terrorism. Terrorists hijacked two American airlines and crushed them on the World Trade Center, which killed more than 250 people (Field, 2009). Recently, the media has played a role in terrorism, either hindering or thwarting terror activities. For instance, social media has provided a global platform that has allowed terror groups to spread their ideologies. Although media has played a vital in different spheres, it has played a detrimental role in propagating terrorism
The media has the role of informing the general populace of the events happening in different places across the globe. However, the press has allowed terror groups to advance their ideologies. According to Bilgen (2012), there exists a symbiotic relationship between the media and terrorism. The media enable terrorists to reach a broader audience, which created publicity. For instance, in the 9/11 terrorists attack, the terror group carefully selected the location, which would attract a wider audience. The actual event of two planes crashing The World Trade Center was aired in media across the world. Besides, York residents were able to document these events in pictures, video and personal stories. This allowed al-Qaeda to gain much-needed world attention, which was instrumental in advancing further attacks in the future. For instance, the terror group attacked Faylaka Island, which was occupied by the United States Marines and claimed responsibility in the 2002 Mombasa attacks in Kenya. Arguably, the media provide an impetus to al-Qaeda that allowed it to conduct more attacks.
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The slaughtering of forty-nine individuals in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, is the latest terror incident that leveraged on the impact of media. In particular, the unfortunate event was streamed live using GoPro helmet and posted on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. The same video was circulated in different media houses across the world. This incident allowed the terror group to spread its ideology and make a statement on the global stage. The horrifying incident of killing innocent people enables the group to attain the intended goal. However, the U.S and its allies have recognized the need to combat jihadist activity. According to Boot (2019), the United States has spent millions of dollars to take down jihadist websites, although budgetary constraints have hampered the process. Indeed, media has played a role in allowing terror to advance their goals and ideologies.
As aforementioned, the media has played a role in promoting terror activities in various parts of the globe. For instance, social media has been used by terrorists to spread propaganda and their ideologies across the globe. Noticeably, the platform has massive followers, which make it effective. According to Leetaru (2018), due to force from the government and the general public, social media companies have adopted the signature-based blacklisting. Under this model, moderators use a unique signature to block and delete pictures and videos that are uploaded by the terror group. This has undeniably reduced the effectiveness of social media as a tool for propagating propaganda. Leetaru (2018) has further indicated that Facebook now removes more than 99.5 % of terrorist content through the model. Besides, Facebook has used machine learning technologies to flag terror content, even though the management has declined to comment on its accuracy. Therefore, social media platforms have used signature-based blacklisting and machine learning to limit terror groups from spreading their ideologies.
Social networking has created a platform that connects people from all corners of the world. Notably, it has connected people from different religions, colors, education, social status among others. According to Putra (2016), one of the tools used to spread the ideology of terrorist networks, and more so, recruiting new members is social media. These groups have leverage on the increased impetus of social media coupled with the vulnerability of young people. For instance, Al-Shabaab, a terror group in Somalia, has used social media to recruit youth in Kenya. Predominately, youths in Kenya are educated, and job opportunities are not forthcoming; thus, the terror group has used social media to exploit their vulnerability and recruit them. Arguably, social media has played a vital role both in spreading ideologies and recruiting new members.
Terrorism has emanated as primary challenges in the globe, and both governmental and non-governmental organizations are combing efforts to reduce it. However, media and social media have been used to advance the agenda of these groups. For instance, the media played an essential role in advancing the agenda of al-Qaeda after they attacked the World Trade Center in the U.S. Later on, the group gained world recognition and committed other several attacks across the globe. Besides, social media was used in New Zealand to promote the popularity of the terror group. However, social media platforms have used machine learning and the signature-based blacklisting to limit how terror group the platform. Also, the U.S government has, and its allies are using millions of dollars to take down jihadist websites. Overall, the media has played a vital role in advancing the jihadist activities.
References
Bilgen, A. (2012). Terrorism and the Media: A Dangerous Symbiosis. Retrieved from https://www.e-ir.info/2012/07/22/terrorism-and-the-media-a-dangerous-symbiosis/
Boot, M. (2019). Why social media and terrorism make a perfect fit. The Washington Post . Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/16/why-social-media-terrorism-make-perfect-fit/
Field, A. (2009). Tracking terrorist networks: problems of intelligence sharing within the UK intelligence community. Review of International Studies , 35 (4), 997-1009.
Leetaru, K. (2018). Can We Finally Stop Terrorists From Exploiting Social Media? Forbes . Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2018/10/09/can-we-finally-stop-terrorists-from-exploiting-social-media/#66b16cbf6d80
Putra, M. D. (2016). New Media and Terrorism: Role of the Social Media to Countering Cyber Terrorism and Cyber Extremism for Effective Response. SSRN Electronic Journal . doi:10.2139/ssrn.2754370
