Challenging Extremist Views on Social Media

Challenging Extremist Views on Social Media

Author: Jan-Jaap van Eerten

Publisher:

Published: 2019-06-22

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780367253158

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This book is a timely and significant examination of the role of the use of counter-narratives via social media as a potential means to prevent radicalization of potentially susceptible individuals, or to de-radicalize people with radical beliefs. In recent years, extremist groups have developed increasingly sophisticated online communication strategies to spread their propaganda and promote their narratives, enabling messages to be spread more rapidly and effectively. To attempt to neutralise these online radicalizing influences, one of the most important initiatives has been the use of counter-narrative projects: strategic communication efforts that aim to undermine the appeal of the narratives of violent extremist groups by challenging them or presenting an alternative that displaces them. Focusing predominantly on Salafi-Jihadi narratives, the text examines how different audiences are targeted across the radicalization spectrum, from 'upstream' (efforts focused on prevention) to 'downstream' audiences (for de-radicalization). The authors provide both a comprehensive theoretical overview and a review of the available literature, as well as policy recommendations for governments and the role they can play in counter-narrative efforts. The first book to critically examine the possibilities and pitfalls of using counterfocused on prevention) to 'downstream' audiences (for de-radicalization). The authors provide both a comprehensive theoretical overview and a review of the available literature, as well as policy recommendations for governments and the role they can play in counter-narrative efforts. The first book to critically examine the possibilities and pitfalls of using counter-narratives to prevent radicalization or stimulate de-radicalization, this is essential reading for policy makers and professionals dealing with this issue, as well as researchers in the field.


Challenging Extremist Views on Social Media

Challenging Extremist Views on Social Media

Author: Jan-Jaap van Eerten

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-07-23

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 1000063615

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This book is a timely and significant examination of the role of counter-messaging via social media as a potential means of preventing or countering radicalization to violent extremism. In recent years, extremist groups have developed increasingly sophisticated online communication strategies to spread their propaganda and promote their cause, enabling messages to be spread more rapidly and effectively. Counter-messaging has been promoted as one of the most important measures to neutralize online radicalizing influences and is intended to undermine the appeal of messages disseminated by violent extremist groups. While many such initiatives have been launched by Western governments, civil society actors, and private companies, there are many questions regarding their efficacy. Focusing predominantly on efforts countering Salafi-Jihadi extremism, this book examines how feasible it is to prevent or counter radicalization and violent extremism with counter-messaging efforts. It investigates important principles to consider when devising such a program. The authors provide both a comprehensive theoretical overview and a review of the available literature, as well as policy recommendations for governments and the role they can play in counter-narrative efforts. As this is the first book to critically examine the possibilities and pitfalls of using counter-messaging to prevent radicalization or stimulate de-radicalization, it is essential reading for policy makers and professionals dealing with this issue, as well as researchers in the field.


Likewar

Likewar

Author: Peter Warren Singer

Publisher: Eamon Dolan Books

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 421

ISBN-13: 1328695743

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Social media has been weaponized, as state hackers and rogue terrorists have seized upon Twitter and Facebook to create chaos and destruction. This urgent report is required reading, from defense experts P.W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking.


Breaking the Social Media Prism

Breaking the Social Media Prism

Author: Chris Bail

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2022-09-27

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 0691241406

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A revealing look at how user behavior is powering deep social divisions online—and how we might yet defeat political tribalism on social media In an era of increasing social isolation, platforms like Facebook and Twitter are among the most important tools we have to understand each other. We use social media as a mirror to decipher our place in society but, as Chris Bail explains, it functions more like a prism that distorts our identities, empowers status-seeking extremists, and renders moderates all but invisible. Breaking the Social Media Prism challenges common myths about echo chambers, foreign misinformation campaigns, and radicalizing algorithms, revealing that the solution to political tribalism lies deep inside ourselves. Drawing on innovative online experiments and in-depth interviews with social media users from across the political spectrum, this book explains why stepping outside of our echo chambers can make us more polarized, not less. Bail takes you inside the minds of online extremists through vivid narratives that trace their lives on the platforms and off—detailing how they dominate public discourse at the expense of the moderate majority. Wherever you stand on the spectrum of user behavior and political opinion, he offers fresh solutions to counter political tribalism from the bottom up and the top down. He introduces new apps and bots to help readers avoid misperceptions and engage in better conversations with the other side. Finally, he explores what the virtual public square might look like if we could hit "reset" and redesign social media from scratch through a first-of-its-kind experiment on a new social media platform built for scientific research. Providing data-driven recommendations for strengthening our social media connections, Breaking the Social Media Prism shows how to combat online polarization without deleting our accounts.


Prevent strategy

Prevent strategy

Author: Great Britain: Home Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2011-06-07

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13: 9780101809221

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The Prevent strategy, launched in 2007 seeks to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism both in the UK and overseas. It is the preventative strand of the government's counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. Over the past few years Prevent has not been fully effective and it needs to change. This review evaluates work to date and sets out how Prevent will be implemented in the future. Specifically Prevent will aim to: respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it; prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure that they are given appropriate advice and support; and work with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalization which need to be addressed


Countering Violent Extremism Through Public Health Practice

Countering Violent Extremism Through Public Health Practice

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-06-30

Total Pages: 147

ISBN-13: 0309453658

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Countering violent extremism consists of various prevention and intervention approaches to increase the resilience of communities and individuals to radicalization toward violent extremism, to provide nonviolent avenues for expressing grievances, and to educate communities about the threat of recruitment and radicalization to violence. To explore the application of health approaches in community-level strategies to countering violent extremism and radicalization, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a public workshop in September 2016. Participants explored the evolving threat of violent extremism and radicalization within communities across America, traditional versus health-centered approaches to countering violent extremism and radicalization, and opportunities for cross-sector and interdisciplinary collaboration and learning among domestic and international stakeholders and organizations. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.


Social Media and Democracy

Social Media and Democracy

Author: Nathaniel Persily

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-09-03

Total Pages: 365

ISBN-13: 1108835554

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A state-of-the-art account of what we know and do not know about the effects of digital technology on democracy.


Digital Extremisms

Digital Extremisms

Author: Mark Littler

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-01-25

Total Pages: 279

ISBN-13: 3030301389

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This book explores the use of the internet by (non-Islamic) extremist groups, drawing together research by scholars across the social sciences and humanities. It offers a broad overview of the best of research in this area, including research contributions that address far-right, (non-Islamic) religious, animal rights, and nationalist violence online, as well as a discussion of the policy and research challenges posed by these unique and disparate groups. It offers an academically rigorous, introductory text that addresses extremism online, making it a valuable resource for students, practitioners and academics seeking to understand the unique characteristics such risks present.


Counter-Terrorism, Ethics and Technology

Counter-Terrorism, Ethics and Technology

Author: Adam Henschke

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-12-14

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 3030902218

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This open access book brings together a range of contributions that seek to explore the ethical issues arising from the overlap between counter-terrorism, ethics, and technologies. Terrorism and our responses pose some of the most significant ethical challenges to states and people. At the same time, we are becoming increasingly aware of the ethical implications of new and emerging technologies. Whether it is the use of remote weapons like drones as part of counter-terrorism strategies, the application of surveillance technologies to monitor and respond to terrorist activities, or counterintelligence agencies use of machine learning to detect suspicious behavior and hacking computers to gain access to encrypted data, technologies play a significant role in modern counter-terrorism. However, each of these technologies carries with them a range of ethical issues and challenges. How we use these technologies and the policies that govern them have broader impact beyond just the identification and response to terrorist activities. As we are seeing with China, the need to respond to domestic terrorism is one of the justifications for their rollout of the “social credit system.” Counter-terrorism technologies can easily succumb to mission creep, where a technology’s exceptional application becomes normalized and rolled out to society more generally. This collection is not just timely but an important contribution to understand the ethics of counter-terrorism and technology and has far wider implications for societies and nations around the world.