The Information Age of Terrorism

Modern terrorism, as deduced from this literature, is acts to violence strategically used by secular groups spanning international borders with the aim of achieving a desired outcome. Further, it can be seen as organized activity whose genesis can be traced back to the 1880’s. From then to now there are identifiable traits and patterns observed from different (terrorist) groups which have allowed for the conceptualization of the term modern terrorism. This concept therefore, can be best explained in the context of being a wave or having a life cycle. That means it is a cycle of activity demarked by phases from inception and expands along the way then eventually it declines. The world, thus far, has experienced four waves of modern

Terrorism is an act that threatens or carries out violence with the intention to disrupt, kill or coerce against a body or nation in order to impose will. This means that a lot of groups use this method to get what they want. The groups use a variety of methods, groups such as:

Domestic terrorist groups are violent extremists that want to attack the U.S. from the inside. Their intent is to frighten, pressure, and/or influence national principles. Today’s terrorist organizations are using cyberspace to spread their message. Training and online recruitment are also being made available by the Internet and social media websites. Some of the acts are lone-wolf attacks and others are collective attacks. Some examples of domestic terrorist groups that use cyberspace are Army of God, Sovereign Citizens, and Phineas Priesthood. The Southern Poverty Law Center released a report on terrorism, stating that more people have been killed in America by non-Islamic domestic terrorists than jihadists (Henderson, 2015). Terrorist

The use of terrorism started in 1795 relating to the reign of terror leaded by the French Government. The reason people become terrorist is because they see it as their only choice or is a sign for defending their religion. “The personal pathway model suggests that terrorists came from a selected, at risk population, who have suffered from early damage to their self-esteem,” (psychologist Eric D. Shaw). This explains how young adults are becoming terrorist to find themselves, also because they are not happy with who they are. Terrorist technology has changed over the course.

Terrorism is often used in asymmetric power struggles. In this source it said terrorism is, “When a weaker person, or group, is fighting against a powerful nation-state.” Terrorist groups have begun using the internet and media to spread fear. Also, to impact public opinion with their political or social message. Terrorism has been around for a very long time. Resources of the United States and other countries have been directed toward ending terrorism in American and around the world. Two major attacks that most individuals will remember is the 9/11 attack and the Boston Marathon Bombing.

Besides friends using social media to connect with other friends or families keeping in touch with other relatives who are at a distance, in the recent years, terrorists have taken advantage of social media and used it as a platform to threaten and send jaw dropping messages to some of the most popular outlets across the nation. For this paper, I will examine how terrorists have used social media as propaganda. I will also analyze the trends in media and terrorism, and how it has provided access for the promotion of the violent messages as well as allowing the news of terrorist attacks and assassinations to reach many parts of the world within a matter of minutes.

Tactics to induce terror in pursuit of a political goal have been utilized by a multitude of organizations across the globe. This method of power control is known as terrorism, and due to its impact and unpredictability, it is highly feared and monitored today in the 21st century. Attacks of this nature stem from radical beliefs of religion, ethics, or other politics, and have been carried out globally, ranging from the 9/11 attack in New York City to the 2015 shooting in Paris, France. Terrorism over recent years has grown despite an abundance of efforts by many nations and international organisations to stop development of such groups. This growth is partially attributed to advances in digital technology and the furtherment of communication techniques, such as social media and web-based content, which has allowed for the spread of these radical ideas across the planet making it difficult to control the advancement of these beliefs (Council on Foreign Relations, 2009). Terrorism will never be able to be fully stopped due to the abstract nature and ideology from which terrorism originates.

Terrorist organizations from the past did not have much exposure compare to terrorist organizations now who have diverse media outlets. The different types of media coverage's include the internet , social media, news, and YouTube videos. Terrorist have an advantage with these media outlets, they can recruit members to join the fight against those who are against Islam. These individual can receive training from these terrorist organization. Training can include how to make a bomb, fight tactics, or planning terrorist attack. They play to and for an audience, and solicit audience participation (Hoffman 2006, 173). These terrorist organization want as much media exposure as to bring terror to those who oppose them. By these terrorist attack

Terrorism can be defined as the use of criminal violence to try to force a government to change. It can also be defined as the use of criminal violence that groups or individuals use to seek revenge and cause heartache amongst those that they want to hurt/threaten. Most terrorist groups prefer to target people for a more dramatic response and celebrate when the media broadcasts their violent acts on television and throughout the news. Lately, more and more deadly terrorist acts have been captured on film and broadcasted in all parts of the world. Sixty years ago recordings of terroristic acts didn’t spread through the world as quickly as they do now because technology wasn’t as advance. That is just one of the

What is a terrorist? According to the F.B.I., terrorists are individuals that meet the following three characteristics: (1) they are involved in “violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law”; (2) intend to intimidate or influence a civilian population or government through methods of mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; (3) reside“outside the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S., or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum” (“Definitions of Terrorism in the U.S. Code”). Terrorists use violence as a tool to strike fear into people that

The ever evolving subject of terrorism and terrorists is the subject of significant study worldwide. The psychological and behavioral factors involved in terrorism are one of the most studied issues. It has implications across the board for both the detection and deterrence of terrorism. How terrorists communicate and the influence that it plays in growing terroristic ideology, mission, and goals are also of significant importance, as well.

the similitudes are in their internet use, for information gathering, resembling the uses made of the medium by traditional political organizations, for example, raising funds and disseminating propaganda. And also to hide instructions, manuals, and directions in coded messages or encrypted files. Today, almost all active terrorist organizations maintain websites, and many maintain more than one. Many terrorist organizations are held together through their worldwide network of communities, both cybernetic and physical. The internet has been one significant enabler, which permits anonymous communication, aids recruitment, encourages the sharing of

Terrorism in the twenty-first century has some similarities and differences from terrorism in the twentieth century. Terrorism is, in its broadest sense, the use or threatened use of violence in order to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim. Also useful to remember that because the two entities involved, the terrorists and the terrorized, are on the opposite end of the political, religious or ideological continuum, the same act is viewed by them differently. There is much sense in the phrase one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.

According to Furnell and Warren (1999), Evidence suggests that technology is growingly seen as a potential tool for terrorist organizations and the widespread use of information technology by terrorist groups and organizations has led to the birth of a new class of menace termed “Cyberterrorism”. Cyberterrorism could be used in many diverse ways. Sometimes, a country’s pivotal infrastructures could be shut down and harmed using computer network and tools. There have been impediments in trying to give a clear and concise definition to the term “cyberterrorism”. But Denning (2007) which supersedes Denning (2000) gives an unambiguous definition to cyberterrorism:

The magnitude of terrorist activity in today's world is in large part due to the technological tools available to everyone. Even though you may not believe so, by doing these acts of terrorism, it can cause the market to change or even have a more clear effect on your life like the death of a loved one, or one of your loved ones being injured. With all of that being said, there is one important thing that helps them accomplish these goals. That one important thing is technology. Technology all around the world is used for good and helps us accomplish tasks we could not do without technology. But there is also the downside to technology. The downside is that it can also be used for bad and that is in which intent the terrorist use it for.