Psychological Effects Of Deindividuation

Social media databases, which include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are attractive to users because they allow them to have complete control over who they communicate and interact with. According to The Pew Research Center Online, 79% of American adults between the ages twenty-three to sixty-five said they used the internet and nearly half of adults (47%), or 59% of internet users, say they use at least one Social Media site to network. On the other hand, The Pew Research Center Online also claims that 16% of social media users are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two. Like the older adults, the young adults and children are exposed to the luxuries of social media, but they are also introduced to the sophistical media as well. For example, Social Media sites have become a headquarter for people to spread their own malicious beliefs: the jihadists terrorists group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has become an adept user of social media. In June of 2014, the group began an attack on the Iraqi city Mosul while also launching a “hashtag campaign” (Brooking and Singer), #AllEyesOnISIS. The hashtag surged across Twitter and created a global frenzy. Since then, ISIS has grown because of social media while recruiting through networking sites and self advertisement. ISIS’s most notable self promotion was the surfacing of a video that showed several ISIS followers beheading an

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as Isis, terror group has been an important issue in the United States for the past couple of years. After the recall of troops from Iraq, radical Islamist movements started to begin and Isis was formed. The first issue of Isis is they have grown in numbers over the years. Secondly, Isis controls thousands of square miles of ungoverned territory. Their high supply of troops and land allows them to creatively think of major attacks, including attacks on the U.S. Lastly, when people see the attacks from Isis, some people naturally gravitate towards these groups. Two months after 9/11 attacks Osama Bin Laden said “When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse.” Isis will continue to grow in power if countries do not come together to help totally eliminate them.

It is important that we understand why terrorists have turned to social media to spread fear along with recruiting members and supporters. Research has shown that propaganda videos containing terrorist-

Most ISIS practice customs from the 7th century, but the methods they use to fight a war are 21st century techniques. ISIS have an advanced computer network that uses social media to attract terrorists worldwide to help them attack countries like the United States. Many countries have been victims of cyber attacks but may not realize it until long after the security breach occurred.

Over the past year or two, newspapers, radio stations, and news broadcasts have been covering the rapid ascent of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS. But they have spread far beyond those material boundaries, reaching into the minds and homes of young people across the globe. These young people are led to believe that ISIS is saving the world, not harming it and that they must partake in the fight for religious dictatorship. They are instructed over the internet to perform acts of terrorism in their own country, known as domestic terrorism. Due to the dramatic increase in terrorist activity

Belanger, J. J., Gelfand, M. J., Gunaratna, R., Hetiarachchi, M., Kruglanski, A. W., & Sheveland, A. (2014). The psychology of radicalization and deradicalization: How significance quest impacts violent extremism. Political Psychology, 35, 69-93. Retrieved from

According to American intelligence officials, 20,000 foreigners and at least 3,400 Westerners have joined the Islamic State’s cause and are now fighting on the frontline in Iraq and Syria. Unlike the British in WW1, ISIS doesn’t use propaganda posters to recruit new fighters, they use social medias like Twitter, Facebook, and Whatsapp to reach their target audience in a language it understands. According to U.S. States Department spokeswoman,

This same idea is shown around the world in current events. ISIS is an organization in which people from all over the world join to form a group that terrorizes areas. Many people who do not think they belong where they are now. They join ISIS in hopes of finding a place where they feel like they belong. That feeling of belonging as well as the need for comfort drives these people past the point of reason. The people treat the feeling of beloning and comfort as their religion and will do anything to feel

must increase control of Information Operations (IO). IO is the integrated employment of core capabilities of electronic warfare, computer network operations, psychological operations, military deception and operations security; specified to influence, disrupt, and corrupt the adversary. The anti-American propaganda that is released via the internet by ISIL continues to deceive the impressionable and attract volunteers to this terrorist group. The U.S. faces great challenges combating adversary propaganda from ISIL. Successfully locating, jamming and shutting down websites and social media that stream propaganda is not always effective; sites are shut down and moved too quickly. Adversary propaganda is designed to affect behaviors and influence American’s and our allies to disapprove of the war on terrorism, persuade society that their actions are justified and not terrorist actions; several sites solicit funds as well as

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, commonly known as ISIS, has frightened the whole world by committing attacks in the Middle East, Paris, and San Bernardino, California. ISIS claims to be the legitimate ruler of all Muslims and it operates the Muslim world. ISIS was able to expand as the result of local groups conflicts with Western interests. Daniel Byman declares that local groups are attracted to ISIS for genuine conviction. Particularly, young men believe that ISIS is the defender and avenger of Sunnis worldwide. On the other hand, some groups join ISIS for accessibility to financial and technical aid. While , ISIS grows beyond Iraq and Syria, religious intolerance is created. The group delivers its religious beliefs by barbarian acts, such as beheading and rape to intimidate their enemies and obtain supporters.

They know that most of muslims do not accept their ideology so they use social media to brainwash young muslims and new converts to join them. ISIS preys on vulnerable and disillusioned western youth from economically disadvantaged families that many of them had criminal background. They rarely go to mosque to recruit. These young people want to become hero. There are many in ISIS territory that chose to join ISIS to put food on table for their family. They see no other way out. Either they have to die of hunger or fight ISIS and get killed.

During the last decade, the Middle East has attracted the attention of the world’s eye for many reasons. Particularly, for the socials, political, and economic changes that have happened in these countries through the years. Consequently, the Middle East has lived a massive wave of military interventions, civil wars, violence, and death. Specifically, in the region of Iraq and Syria, where the people suffer the consequences of all the conflicts and affect the social development of this community. Under these circumstances, many military and terrorist affiliate groups have emerged, such as Al Qaeda, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the most notorious and bloody one ISIS. Particularly, these groups have some religion's background, and their values are

These groups utilize the media platforms to preach the jihadi movement, as well as releasing propaganda and weapons tutorials. Both of these groups have English magazines; the Al Qaeda’s English-language magazine, known as “Inspire,” and ISIS’s English-language magazine, called “Dabiq.” Many terrorist organizations are posting eulogies of martyred jihadist. With the hopes of encouraging other radical Muslims and using them as role models for Muslims around the world. With the growing use of social media, the terrorist has good reasons to take advantage of it. The terrorist’s channels are popular with its intended audience; this allows the organizations to be mainstream. Social media channels are user-friendly, dependable, free, and can be used anywhere in the world if you have data or are connected to the internet. Social networking allows terrorist to reach out to their intended targets no matter where they are located. Compared to the traditional way in which visitors had to come to the

We see terrorists not as human, but as some savage beasts who only know how to kill and cause terror. This makes them especially dangerous online, as it had allowed them to set up camp and launch a cyberspace attack without any sort of immediate notice. Now this does not mean that you have to suspect your grandma's knitting group on facebook to actually be a terrorist sleeper cell, but you do have to worry at the thousands of messages that these terrorists send out on a daily basis. While there are quite a number of grizzled internet veterans who know to trust no one and to suspect the worst in all, these terrorists have been reaching out to those that are particularly vulnerable. Because as stated by an business insider article about social media “we do not expect what we see as backwards savages like terrorists to be using something as everyday as facebook, we let our guard down unconsciously while using it.” (Business Insider, 2015) When engaging in an online discussion, most people are likely to see the other party as having good reasons and valid arguments, making what appears to be a normal man living in egypt but is actually a terrorist recruiter, an extreme upper hand in trying to persuade you to join their

For instance, the Ku Klux Klan has made several resurgences throughout American history, each time more radical than the last. Today, the group has dwindled to a small percentage of nativist, racist individuals who are unable to put aside their irrational beliefs and instead be productive members of society. Thankfully, a minuscule minority of the nation’s citizens share their perspective, so they remain the prototype of the “Madisonian faction,” irreconcilably radical but insignificant. However, political extremism founded on dissension can reach terrifying popularity. ISIS and ISIL preach a doctrine of disposing of individuals who disagree with their radical interpretation of the Quran, and the ferocity of this isolationist ideology has destroyed local governments in Syria In fact, the organization has indirectly attacked the democratic governments throughout the world. By organizing pointed attacks like the one in Paris, they are diminishing citizens’ senses of security, weakening the power of their governments. Dissension ravages the online universe, as well. On Tumblr, entire blogs are devoted to ostracizing groups of people for their opinions, while Twitter-wars reduce productivity until it is nonexistent. Though both forms of social media hold amazing potential for widespread cooperation towards acquiring social change, dissenting opinions make it difficult