Many people are under the misconception that terrorism is a new phenomenon, but with rise of media outlets in the Western world, terrorist groups of indian banana recipes have been able to reach new audiences and influence them in ways that were previously not possible.
This blog post examines how those who handle the translation of mass media can help reduce terrorism by understanding how it affects society and psychological states. It also discusses how to prevent and mitigate its impact on society through international collaboration. The importance of reducing terrorism is discussed, which includes potential benefits for peacekeeping missions as well as humanitarian crisis prevention efforts.
1. Introduction
Terrorism is a form of violence and psychological impact caused when people are convinced of the need, desire, or intent to commit aggression or terrorism. The World Health Organization defines terrorism as “the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims”. Terrorism can occur anywhere in the world, which means there are many groups involved with this phenomenon. A common definition of terrorism is “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims”. This definition comes from international conventions banning terrorism such as Resolution 1373 (2001) by the UN Security Council.
2. Types of Terrorism
There are three types of terrorism that have been discovered and categorized. Each type is further described below.
3. Media’s Influence on Terrorists
Another component that can be attributed to media’s influence on terrorism is the possibility for terrorist groups to recruit new members, because the Internet has allowed them to reach more individuals than ever before. The Internet has made it easier for terrorist groups to spread their propaganda across the world by using social media such as Facebook and Twitter. This allows them to post messages, images, and videos with which they can initiate fear in those who see or view it. The amount of terrorist propaganda using social media has grown immensely over the last year. According to a report by the Global Terrorism Database, in 2010 there were only 754 unique Twitter accounts containing some sort of “terrorist-related content”, in 2013 there were 5,476 unique Twitter accounts containing some sort of “terrorist-related content”, and in 2014 there were 917,662 unique Twitter accounts containing some sort of “terrorist-related content”. Not only has this type of terrorist propaganda evolved on social media sites, but now many face clips and images can be stored online. This makes it easier for terrorists to upload videos as well as short messages or links that are posted publicly on social media websites such as Facebook.
4. Causes of Terrorism
There have been many different studies that have dealt with the topic of terrorism, but most of them have agreed on one thing: a combination of many different factors cause terrorism. These factors can be divided into three types: cultural, psychological, and economic. Both the United States Department of Defense and the U.S Institute for Peace classified terrorists as “a part of a broader phenomenon” in their report entitled Understanding Terrorist Motivation to Engage in Terrorism in 2007. The report concluded that terrorist groups are made up of people who desire to spread their political beliefs in ways that most governments do not approve of. The U.S Department of Defense and US Institute for Peace report also concludes that the majority of psychological factors for why individuals commit acts of terrorism seem to come from “dysfunctional families” and poor social relationships, which could be from a variety causes such as neglect or rejection from society. This is due to the fact that many terrorist groups have a sort of “cult-like” mentality, which is where they see themselves as separate from any other part of society.
5. Recruitment of Terrorists
Cultural factors, also known as identity issues, can also play a role in recruiting a terrorist. A person may be recruited by a terrorist group, such as ISIS or Al-Qaeda because they seek power and aggression rather than political gain. This is based on the fact that many groups have the “cult-like” mentality mentioned above, which often becomes more prevalent when recruiters initiate force using brainwashing techniques rather than political manipulation. An article by J. M. Berger entitled “The ISIS Twitter Census: Defining and Describing the Population of ISIS Supporters on Twitter” concludes that “ISIS is indeed more popular among young recruits than older members”. This is partly due to the fact that ISIS mainly uses Twitter, which makes it easier for younger recruits to access their propaganda. Berger’s article also shows that ISIS has an ethnically diverse audience. “Less than half of ISIS supporters identify as Arab” according to Berger’s study, which concludes that only 21% of ISIS supporters are Arab.
6. Effects and Significance of Mass Media on Terrorism
The rise of mass media has played a significant role in the spread of terrorism throughout the world. The first modern terrorist group (The Irgun) began broadcasting public service announcements encouraging violence and revolt just after World War I; this was shortly followed by Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestine Liberation Organization in Jordan during the 1970s.
