Publications

This essay focuses on how the Islamic State and other non-state actors use media and technology to influence individuals and groups by combining Internet activity with activity in the real world. The Islamic State functions in an actual physical and geographical space, in cyberspace, and within the conscious realm. Eachserves the Islamic State’s communications, propaganda, psychological warfare, and recruitment, influencing individuals and groups and inducing them to carry out “spontaneous” acts of terrorism. The way the Islamic State uses the Internet in general and social media in particular to shape reality and promote its terrorist objectives differs fundamentally from the ways in which terrorist organizations used technology in the past. Other non-state actors and terrorist organizations are learning to use media and technology, imitating the successful model of the Islamic State.