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EXTREMIST CONTENT AND ONLINE VIOLENT RADICALIZATION - Coggle Diagram
EXTREMIST CONTENT AND ONLINE VIOLENT RADICALIZATION
KEY MESSAGES
3) Despite the
growing online presence of women radicalized to violence
, this
topic remains under-researched
.
2)
Youth online violent radicalization is a complex process where online and offline factors constantly interact.
However...
Attempts to prevent youth's online violent radicalization have
no proven efficacy
. They however
negatively impact online freedoms
.
To challenge extremist propaganda, some platforms
use search queries to redirect youth to online content that debunks narratives used for recruitment into violent extremist groups.
The co-existence of multiple online identities can result in
separating from one's own individuated identity to adopt a group identity.
Extremist groups
instrumentalize young people's strong need for a virtual community
to gradually
overshadow their individuated identity by the identity of the violent extremist group
.
1) The
internet plays a major role in transmitting radical and violent ideologies and translating them into political activism
.
Violent extremist groups use social media to foster fear
among Internet users
and incite individuals to join their cause.
Nevertheless...
There is
currently insufficient evidence to draw a causal link
between online extremist propaganda and radicalization to violence.
Available studies do not examine how online exposure, external factors and individual life trajectories interact
to inform the perpetration of violent extremist acts.
Through the
dissemination of information and propaganda
, internet and social media help
reach and connect audiences interested in extremist content
.
Social media enables people to
exclusively consume information that is consistent with their views
. Offline exposure to views that differ from the extremist group's values can reinforce an individual's radical beliefs.
BLIND SPOTS
Given the role that
video games
can play in
online radicalization to violence
, and given that the UNESCO report discusses Asia as part of its
regional overviews
, it would have been interesting to
look into violent extremism in Japan where the video game industry occupies a significant place
.
Limited references to Africa despite growing presence of violent extremist actors
(e.g. al-Shabaab in Kenya and Somalia, ISIS-affiliated group in northern Mozambique, Al-Qaeda's affiliated group in the Sahel) and despite
Africa having the youngest population
out of all continents.
The lack of existing empirical data is highlighted however there are
no reflections offered about the ethical implications of gathering empirical data on online exposure to extremist content and violent radicalization.
Articles in different languages were reviewed:
is it possible that some subtle nuances were 'lost in translation'?
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Some scholars advise against using the phrase "Sub-Saharan Africa": it homogenizes different regions of the continent and the 'sub' prefix can evoke racist tropes that present Black Africans as 'sub-humans'.
In critical race theory, it is also not advised to use "Caucasian". The term comes from Blumenbach and 18th century scientific racism that positioned features inferred from a Caucasian skull as the most beautiful ones and white people as the superior 'race'. The term could be substituted by "of European ancestry" or "white".
Including positionality statements instead of authors' short biographies could help better convey the perspectives used to conduct the review and the inherent blind spots and bias that come with it.
KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION TOOLS
"Did you know?" pop-up bubble on the website with one fact (e.g. "Did you know that a research project about XYZ was conducted in country ABC in year YYYY?) that redirects to the resources section of CPN's website.
"Recommended best practices" sheets for policymakers: e.g. drawing from Arabic-speaking researchers who avoid the word 'Islam' and its semantic field to talk about organizations that connect Islam to their violent extremism; Grounding policies in a historical, political and social analysis of violent radicalization rather than talking about "indoctrination".
Two 90-second animation videos about: 1) the key messages of this systematic review, 2) the concept of Media and Information Literacy and its usefulness to navigate online tactics used by extremist groups
Infographics for every point in the key findings and regional analysis sections from the UNESCO report