Title: The ways in which jihadis foster online social media addiction. ISIS use of Telegram
Presenter: Mia Bloom

Online media platforms blend graphic audiovisual content with ideological religious writings to sanction and justify their violent terrorist tactics. In recent years, Jihadi groups have increasingly relied on open API platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Tumblr. However, the messaging app, Telegram has increasingly become the platform of choice for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and its supporters. Telegram has been used to recruit and coordinate terrorist attacks in France and Brussels and, unlike other messaging apps like Whatsapp, cannot be traced by authorities after an attack. The prevalence of peer-to-peer encrypted messaging by ISIS does not show signs of decline despite predictions that the group is in its final death throes. As social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have been increasingly policed and engaged in aggressive deletions, Telegram remains the group’s platform of choice. This begs questions about how Telegram is used, as well as what kinds of threat it poses for the future. 

This presentation is based on materials from the semi dark web of encrypted applications, commonly known as apps. As part of Minerva research project, Bloom has charted and analyzed ISIS Telegram channels and chat rooms, with special emphasis on the addictive and persuasive qualities of the online social media. While analyzing user behavior, theories of social identity, individual vulnerabilities, recruitment susceptibility, desensitization, and moral disengagement have been considered. The presentation endeavors to provide new insights into how ISIS deliberately fosters addiction to social media, and how consumers of this material might move from passive support to active involvement. Understanding how the group disseminates material and interacts with its supporters is vital to countering ISIS’ messaging strategies, as well as impeding future recruitment efforts.

ARTIS Seminar Series on Political Violence

Each seminar, hosted by the Center on Terrorism and sponsored ARTIS, focuses on a singular aspect of terrorism. An invited speaker presents on a topic and a question-and-answer period follows. The seminars are free and open to the public, they are also a core component of the Advanced Certificate in Terrorism Studies curriculum offered through the center. We warmly welcome all those interested in  or currently working in the field of terrorism. This is an excellent forum for the exchange of ideas helpful to the academic and practitioner alike.