The role of internet and social media in recruitment in certain Islamic terrorist organizations. Cases of Al Qaeda and ISIS

Abstract

This research is an attempt to resume and elucidate the practical valence of the academic works, published in the Western countries and Russia. The main goal of this study was to substantiate, in terms of theoretical and methodological aspect, the contents of publications, which reflect a wide range of topics, such as the propaganda, manipulation and recruitment in the terrorist organizations through the social media and the Internet, accentuating the psychosocial components, and highlighting the practices to combat this phenomenon.

The paper focuses on the issue that the Internet and global networks significantly increased the potential for terrorist organizations Al Qaeda and ISIS to carry out their criminal plans. The authors based their research on the thesis that global network represents a new virtual environment, favourable for the online criminal acts, including the recruitment in the terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda and ISIS. They use the Internet as means of psychological warfare through the dissemination of disinformation and horror, for recruitment of new members.

The researchers underlined the amplification of the recruitment through various social networks. The anonymity and a large audience allow different interest groups, regardless of their place of residence, an uncontrollable and secret communication. The recruitment in the cyber terrorist communities has been conducted in online form by identifying and attracting people interested to support the approach and actions of the terrorist organizations such as ISIS and Al Qaeda.