Explain how social media has helped in the spread of radicalization.

The attacks in the world, the media forms of communication of terrorist groups, the
highlighting of a digital space for the dissemination of the most extreme ideas, all this has
gradually brought to light the idea of a central responsibility of the Internet and particularly
social networks in the growth of radical acts. Do social media lead vulnerable individuals to
resort to violence? What do we know about the impact of young people's digital uses on
radical engagement? The Internet is then presented by some as one of the effective vectors of
radicalization of our youth.

Chats and forums

Chats and forums can be integrated into most Internet-based media. Reports that have
examined the use of chat rooms by violent extremist groups describe them as a space where
“at-risk youth” without prior exposure might encounter radicalizing religious narratives.
Networking is facilitated by discussion forums because they develop communication between
followers of the same ideas (experiences, ideas, values), strengthen interpersonal
relationships and provide information on actions (tactics, objectives, tutorials).

Facebook
Facebook does not appear to be used for direct recruiting or scheduling, perhaps because it
has tracking mechanisms and can link users with actual locations and specific times. Instead,
Facebook is more often used by extremists as a decentralized place to disseminate news and
video resources or as a space for direct recruiting. It is used to attract members with the idea
that young supporters can share information and images to create Facebook groups in a
decentralized way.

Twitter
Microblogging sites like Twitter have more advantages for extremist groups, as traceability
of the identity and source of tweets is more difficult to achieve, thus increasing the
communication potential for recruiters. Additionally, via Twitter, extremists can easily
comment publicly on international events, in multiple languages, allowing activists to be
responsive when mounting viral disinformation campaigns.

YouTube and other video platforms

YouTube remains the video sharing platform of choice despite increased competition from
other platforms, such as Dailymotion, Vimeo and others. Its advantage: the identity of people
posting content is difficult to identify and it offers users the possibility of generating
comments and sharing content. The three main reasons that motivate violent Islamic
extremists to generate video messages are the praise of martyrs, the encouragement of suicide
attacks and the propaganda of extremist ideology. Terrorists film their attacks on video and
broadcast them through the Internet, communicating an image of efficiency and success.

Currently, there is evidence of elective affinities between exposure to extremist propaganda

and recruitment, the manifestation of extremist attitudes and an increased risk of violent
radicalization among young people, particularly in the case of far-right groups .The Internet
has become a meeting place between individuals who are lost or in search of meaning and
structured discourses based on conspiratorial and extremist discourses.