Social media and terrorism discourse: the Islamic State’s (IS) social media discursive content and practices

Mohammedwesam Amer (2021) Social media and terrorism discourse: the Islamic State’s (IS) social media discursive content and practices , Communication Sciences And Languages .

     
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Abstract

The paper examines the digital practices and discourses of the Islamic State (IS) when exploiting Social Media Communication (SMC) environments to propagate their jihadist ideology and mobilise specific audiences. It draws on insights from Social Media Critical Discourse Studies, observational approaches, and visual content/semiotic analysis. The paper maintains the complementary nature of technological practice and discursive content in the process of meaning-making in digital jihadist discourse. The study shows that digital practices of strategic sharing, distribution and campaigns to re-upload textual materials are made possible by exploiting SMC communicative affordances.

 

As for the analysis of discursive content, the paper focuses on YouTube and highlights strategic patterns and covert references in an IS-produced flagship video. It illustrates how IS discourse constructs its envisaged in-group/outgroup by (re-)symbolizing current events within historical, political and ideological conflict scenarios, i.e. the incessant resistance and legitimacy of forces of virtue vs evil. By foregrounding symbolic references to military outgroup actors, IS legitimises its own violence and projects a powerful self-identity against a (perceived) global hegemony. The paper shows how the combination of a technologically savvy operation and a resistant, anti-hegemonic narrative, embedded in a strategically framed symbolism of Islam, may resonate with global (quasi)-diasporic digital consumers.

 

Translation

KeyWords : ISIS, digital media, discourse analysis
Auther: Mohammedwesam Amer
Item Type : Artical
Subject : Communication Sciences And Languages
Magazine : Critical Discourse Studies
Depositing User: : د. محمد وسام عبد العزيز عامر
Date Deposited : 10 January, 2023
Last Modified : 15 January, 2023