Accession Number:

AD1175845

Title:

The Radicalization Engine: Violent Extremism and the Contemporary Media Dynamic

Descriptive Note:

[Technical Report, Research Paper]

Corporate Author:

MARINE CORPS UNIV QUANTICO VA

Personal Author(s):

• DeSimone, Daryl L.

Report Date:

2015-04-12

Pagination or Media Count:

36

Abstract:

Contemporary media use of Web 2.0 has revolutionized and empowered peaceful and charitable groups worldwide but it has also done the same for violent extremists. Individuals and groups can now propagate their messages and ideologies to global audiences in unprecedented ways. On several societal levels online radicalization, leverages the complementary interplay between new media and traditional media. If examined from a system perspective, the combination of these dynamic forces drives a global engine of radicalization. In the early Web 2.0 period, new media and traditional media engaged in an intense competition for consumers, causing them to combine into the media we see today. Violent extremists now use these capabilities to create new recruits more rapidly than governments, and security services can manage. This Engine will likely persist in its current form, but governments and populations can take steps to mitigate the negative side effects of this phenomenon, while protecting the rights and safety of their population.

Descriptors:

Subject Categories:

• Unconventional Warfare
• Government and Political Science
• Non-Radio Communications

Distribution Statement:

[A, Approved For Public Release]