Social media and terrorism discourse

The Islamic State’s (Is) Social Media Discursive Content and Practices

Bibliographic Data

ID12877366
AuthorsMajid Khosravinik (0000-0003-2964-2042, Newcastle University, corresponding author), Mohammedwesam Amer (0000-0002-8796-9097, University of Palestine)
Year2020
Volume19
Issue2
Pages124-143
Publication date2020-11-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCritical Discourse Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-5904 • E-ISSN: 1740-5912
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17405904.2020.1835684
OpenAlexW3108703527
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited20

he 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-)symbolising 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

Aesthetics · Critical discourse analysis · Discourse analysis · Disinformation · Foregrounding · Hegemony · Identity (music · Ideology · Islam · Linguistics · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Social media · Sociology · Terrorism · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law · Social Media and Politics · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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