Mass-Mediated Terrorism

This is a completely rewritten and expanded edition of Mass-Mediated Terrorism (2007), which explains the centrality of media and communication in the terrorist scheme and in the ways governments respond to terrorist strikes and threats. Social media as we know it today have become major vehicles of mass-self-communication that allow all kinds of political actors to circumvent the gatekeepers of the conventional mass media. Terrorist organizations and their supporters use them to publicize their "propaganda by deed" and wage psychological warfare or, better, "terrorfare." Further, social media, sophisticated video productions, and e-magazines have drastically expanded the audiences for transnational and domestic groups that carry out and/or support terrorism and provide know-how to those susceptible to recruitment appeals. Today, the traditional media organizations are not only competing with each other, but also with online and mobile technology. The result is the fiercest competition, efforts to come out first with whatever happens, and availability of the latest videos, still pictures, and stories that may not have been scrutinized by experienced editors. This text provides an in-depth look at how terrorists and actors of political violence use mass media to recruit, inform, and publicize their deeds and messages.