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  • Essay / Terrorist Use of Social Media

    A new era of terrorism is rapidly taking hold, largely due to its collaboration with modern mass media and the evolution of social media. Technological advancements, particularly the growth of social media, have given rise to a new aspect of terrorism in which social media sites have become a primary platform for communication. Social media sites offer wide potential opportunities for exchanging messages, spreading propaganda, and recruiting new followers into terrorist groups. The fact that many social media sites are convenient, free, and allow almost unlimited access to a global audience provides an ideal stage for terrorist organizations to pursue their goals and spread their ideology. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay In his article “Social Media and Terrorism: Threats and Challenges for the Modern Era”, Md Sazzad Hossain (2018) explains how Terrorist groups are "becoming more organized and dangerous" due to the dramatically increasing use of social media platforms. Even further, he examines many concepts in which he proposes how we can combat the manipulation of social media by terrorists due to this growing dependence on social media. In many ways, social media has been a great asset to our society, including speeding up the dissemination of information and allowing us to communicate more effectively. It should be noted, however, that the negative aspects far outweigh the positive aspects in the case of the use of these websites to manipulate, recruit, spread violence and propagandize in favor of the ideology of a terrorist organization. Social media are Internet-based applications or websites that allow users to create their own content and establish social relationships with other people who share similar interests, backgrounds, and hobbies. In theory, social media provides a convenient method for individuals to connect and share information with anyone in the world. It's a way to stay in touch with distant relatives, share information quickly and efficiently, and connect with others. It is not difficult to understand why these websites and applications are so popular with individuals around the world, but Hossain believes that these advancements in modern technology and communication have created a new era of terrorism. We live in an era where terrorist organizations have potentially unlimited potential to influence audiences and spread propaganda. Specific applications in particular, such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp, have helped give terrorist groups the ability to recruit and spread their ideology. Twitter is a prime example of this, as it is easy to navigate, offers different privacy options, and has an incredibly large number of users to potentially influence or target. Hossain observed that many groups, such as ISIS and Al-Shabaab, use Twitter for the open layout of their website, as it is the most beneficial and accessible to achieve their goals. They use Twitter for operational communications, information sharing, recruitment, training and intelligence gathering. However, the main reason given for the use of open platform websites, such as Twitter, by terrorist organizationsis that they strengthen the bonds of the group. and amplify propaganda more effectively to mainstream media and the public. Social media in general allows these organizations to promote an online community and introduce a sense of belonging in those they recruit, and these communities experience an incredible rate of growth when not monitored by the moderator content of a website. In fact, the author cited a Brooking Center for Middle East Policy study that found that between September and December 2014, approximately 46,000 to 70,000 accounts on Twitter alone were supporters or members of ISIS (Berger and Morgan, 2015). It should be noted that many of these internet platforms actively attempt to suspend suspected terrorist accounts and limit suspected terrorist activities. However, the major flaw with their own websites is that they can do nothing to stop these same groups from simply creating new accounts. Almost immediately, they create another profile and all their friends and followers are moved to this new account. The reality of these online communities is that they will continually modify and re-emerge through their support networks throughout the Internet world. Hossain says that as a result, they will undoubtedly remain continually active and online with an audience. It is well known that what is published on the Internet will probably stay there forever. This means that even if many groups' content or propaganda is compromised by a platform moderator or other authority, there remains a significant amount of material that has accumulated over time and will most likely continue to be easily accessible to those who seek it. Even if many of these internet platforms manage to terminate active terrorist accounts, the organization's posts can continue since their content will be reposted on social media if these platforms are unable to continue moderating the content posted on their websites. Hassain stressed that the fight against terrorism does not necessarily have to stop with social media and the many complications related to the right to privacy. It recommends taking urgent action against terrorism on social media in several ways, including actively waging a campaign against terrorism using social media as well, from a governmental and non-governmental perspective. By raising awareness among users of these platforms, Hassain believes that this increased awareness will make it easier to stop the tracking of suspected individuals who attempt to target or influence people. A proper campaign could also help clarify the distortions of religious justification and actions used by terrorist groups, thereby helping the general public become more aware of what is correct and what is not. Apart from helping to raise awareness, the author adds that it is also of great importance to ensure that law enforcement and intelligence units have adequate training and are well equipped with the appropriate technological instruments. These units and agencies form the basis of who we can expect to responsibly and legally monitor social media terrorism, both inside and outside the country. The goal Hassain seems to be aiming for is collective action and international cooperation with all social media companies and their country's government to combat any type of terrorist activity on their platforms, both domestically and internationally. He believes it is important to solve this problem by implementing as much legislation and..