The Islamic State’s Use of Online Social Media

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has made great use of the Internet and online social media to spread its message and encourage others, particularly young people, to support the organization, to travel to the Middle East to engage in combat or to join the group by playing a supporting role—a role often carved out for young women persuaded to join ISIS. Social media has proven to be an extremely valuable tool for the organization and is perfectly suited for ISIS’ target audience—the “Millennial generation,” and now more often, those from Western countries. What messages from jihadists convince young people to become involved with the terrorist group? How is it that so many are drawn in over the Internet by ISIS operatives—people they’ve never met face-to-face? And yet these young people (many still in their teens) are willing to leave their families and comfortable life styles to join remote communities half way around the world to engage in war. Understanding the characteristics that can put young people at particular risk of being lured by ISIS will help the U.S. and other nations to identify at-risk individuals and implement improved preventative measures