Fertilizer for Independent Terrorism: Social Media's Facilitation of Radicalization

Authors

Mary Moody, Brigham Young University - ProvoFollow
Rachel Stark, Brigham Young University - Provo

Files

Keywords

terrorism, terrorist radicalization, social media

Abstract

Does social media play a role in the radicalization of independent terrorists? We theorize that, while neither necessary nor sufficient, social media facilitates the radicalization of independent terrorists due to its low barrier of entry, allowing individuals around the world to have access to and create echo chambers around radical ideologies, reinforcing their political identities. To test this theory, we conducted a mixed-methods analysis, running statistical tests on the PIRUS database and executing a most-different qualitative comparative design. We find that social media is more involved in independent rather than traditional terrorist radicalization, establishing the causal pathway in case studies.

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation

Moody, Mary and Stark, Rachel, "Fertilizer for Independent Terrorism: Social Media's Facilitation of Radicalization" (2025). FHSS Mentored Research Conference. 360.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/fhssconference_studentpub/360

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

2025-04-10

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Political Science

University Standing at Time of Publication

Junior

Course

POLI 476

Copyright Use Information

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