Skip to Main Content

Psychology and Law
2020. Vol. 10, no. 4, 214–230
doi:10.17759/psylaw.2020100415
ISSN: 2222-5196 (online)

Radicalisation: A Social Psychological Perspective (Part II)

173

A.D. Tikhonova, B.G. Bovin, I.B. Bovina

PDF (RUS)
Online translation in english
GS
Information
in Google Scholar

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide a social psychological analysis of the propaganda of terrorist organizations through the use of social media. This article deals with the problem of «clip» consciousness in the age of rapid consumption of information, analyzes the features of visual effects in the propaganda of terrorist organizations, and emphasizes the importance of the impact of visual information on the perception of the message by the audience. Images, along with text information, form a frame that affects cognitive formations and affects the processing and interpretation of the message, the perception of facts and circumstances of what is said. The article discusses the similarity between the propaganda of the terrorist organization «Islamic state», banned in the Russian Federation, and the propaganda of the Nazi party (NSDAP), and examines the methods of influence used in its propaganda by the «Islamic state» in relation to a female audience.

General Information

Keywords: propaganda, images, psychological impact, terrorism, social networks, mass communication

Journal rubric: Interdisciplinary Studies

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/psylaw.2020100415

Funding. Bovina I. B. performed theoretical and analytical research on the problem of radicalization with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) in the framework of the scientific project “Expansion (Competition for financial support for the preparation and publication of scientific review articles)” - № 19-113-50280.

For citation: Tikhonova A.D., Bovin B.G., Bovina I.B. Radicalisation: A Social Psychological Perspective (Part II) [Elektronnyi resurs]. Psikhologiya i pravo = Psychology and Law, 2020. Vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 214–230. DOI: 10.17759/psylaw.2020100415. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

References

  1. Azarenok N.V. Klipovoe soznanie i ego vliyanie na psixologiyu cheloveka v sovremennom mire [Clip consciousness and its influence on human psychology in the modern world]. Materialy` Vserossijskoj yubilejnoj nauchnoj konferencii, posvyashhennoj 120-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya S.L. Rubinshtejna [Materials of the All-Russian jubilee scientific conference dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the birth of S.L. Rubinstein], 2009, Vol. 5, pp. 110-112 (In Russ.).
  2. Dokuka S.V. Klipovoe my`shlenie kak fenomen informacionnogo obshhestva [Clip thinking as a phenomenon of the information society]. Obshhestvenny`e nauki i sovremennost= Social sciences and modernity, 2013. Vol. 2, pp. 169—176 (In Russ.).
  3. Zinchenko Yu.P., Surnov K.G., Tkhostov A.Sh. Motivaciya terrorista [Motivation of a terrorist]. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta= Bulletin of the Moscow University. Series 14. Psychology, 2007. Vol. 14, no 2, pp.20-34 (In Russ.).
  4. Maklyue`n M. Galaktika Gutenberga. Stanovlenie cheloveka pechatayushhego. [Gutenberg Galaxy. Becoming a typist]. M.Akademichesky proekt, 2005.  496 p. (In Russ.).
  5. Moscovisi S. Vek tolp. Istoricheskii traktat po psixologii mass. — M.Akademichesky proekt, 2011. 480 p. (In Russ.).
  6. Toffler E`. Tret`ya volna [The third wave]. M.: AST, 2004. P. 781 (In Russ.).
  7. E`ko U. Ot Interneta k Gutenbergu: tekst i gipertekst. Otry`vki iz publichnoj lekcii Umberto E`ko na e`konomicheskom fakul`tete MGU 20.05.1998. [From the Internet to Gutenberg: text and hypertext // Excerpts from a public lecture by Umberto Eco at the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University 05/20/1998] Available at: http://www.gumer. info/bibliotek_ Buks/Culture/Eko/Int_Gutten.php (Accessed: 01.08.2020). (In Russ.).
  8. Aly А., Macdonald S., Jarvis L., Chen T. Introduction to the Special Issue: Terrorist Online Propaganda and Radicalization. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 2017. Vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 1—9. DOI: 10.1080/1057610X.2016.1157402.
  9. Argomaniz J. European Union responses to terrorist use of the Internet. Cooperation and Conflict, 2015. Vol. 50, pp. 250-268. DOI: 10.1177/0010836714545690.
  10. Barthes R. The Responsibility of Forms Critical Essays on Music Art and Representation. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991. P. 312.
  11. Benkler Y. The wealth of networks: How social production transforms markets and freedom. Journal of Media Economics, 2006. Vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 161-165. DOI: 10.1080/08997760701193787.
  12. Belicove M. Facebook posting techniques that really work. Entrepreneur.com. 2011. Available at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/220166# (Accessed: 25.07.2020).
  13. Brantner C., Lobinger K., Wetzstein I. Effects of visual framing on emotional responses and evaluations of news stories about the Gaza conflict 2009. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 2011. Vol. 88, pp. 523—540. DOI: 10.1177/107769901108800304.
  14. Bucher H., Schumacher P. The relevance of attention for selecting news content. An eye-tracking study on attention patterns in the reception of print and online media. Communications, 2006. Vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 347-368. DOI: 10.1515/COMMUN.2006.022.
  15. Castells M. Informationalism, networks, and the network society: a theoretical blueprint. In: M.Castells (ed.). The Network Society: a cross-cultural perspective. Northampton, 2004. MA: Edward Elgar, pp. 36-45.
  16. Cloud D. “To veil the threat of terror”: Afghan women and the ⟨clash of civilizations⟩ in the imagery of the U.S. war on terrorism. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 2004. Vol. 90, no. 3, pp. 285-306. DOI: 10.1080/0033563042000270726.
  17. Cohen N. Fighting with weapons, and postings on Twitter. The New York Times. 2012. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/22/world/middleeast/in-gaza-conflict-fighting-with-weapons-and-postings-on-twitter.html (Accessed: 12.08.2020).
  18. Conway M. Terrorism and the Making of the “New Middle East”: New Media Strategies of Hezbollah and al Qaeda. New Media and the New Middle East, 2007, pp. 235-258. DOI: 10.1057/9780230605602_13.
  19. Duncum P. Visual Culture isn't Just Visual: Multiliteracy, Multimodality and Meaning. Studies in Art Education, 2004. Vol. 45, no 3, pp. 252-64. DOI: 10.1080/00393541.2004.11651771.
  20. Edwards J., Winkler C. Representative form and visual ideograph: The Iwo Jima image in editorial cartoons. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 1997.Vol. 83, no 3, pp. 289-310. DOI: 10.1080/00335639709384187.
  21. Erez E., Weimann G., Weisburd A. Jihad, crime and the Internet: Content analysis of Jihadist. Forum discussions. Report submitted to the National Institute of Justice. 2011. Available at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/236867.pdf (Accessed: 19.04.2020).
  22. Erickson K. Presidential Rhetoric's Visual Turn: Performance Fragments and the Politics of Illusionism. In: L.C.Olson, C.A.Finnegan, D.S.Hope (eds.). Visual Rhetoric: A Reader in Communication and American Culture. Reprinted from Communication Monographs. Thousand Oaks:SAGE Publications, 2008. Vol. 67, no. 2, pp. 138-157.
  23. Fahmy S. Photojournalists’ and photo editors’ attitudes and perceptions: The visual coverage of 9/11 and the Afghan War. Visual Communication Quarterly, 2005. Vol. 12, no. 3-4, pp. 146—163. DOI: 10.1080/15551393.2005.9687454.
  24. Gates S., Podder S. Social media, recruitment, allegiance and the Islamic State. Perspectives on Terrorism, 2015. Vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 107-116. DOI: 10.1017/S1537592710003713.
  25. Hariman R., Lucaites J. Public Identity and Collective Memory in U.S. Iconic Photography: The Image of "Accidental Napalm". Critical Studies in Media Communication, 2003. Vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 35-66. DOI: 10.1080/0739318032000067074.
  26. Heickerö R. Cyber Terrorism: Electronic Jihad. Strategic Analysis, 2014. Vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 554-565. DOI: 10.1080/09700161.2014.918435.
  27. Huey L. This is not your mother’s terrorism: Social media, online radicalization and the practice of political jamming. Journal of Terrorism Research, 2015. Vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 1-16. DOI: 10.15664/jtr.1159.
  28. Ingram H An analysis of Islamic State’s Dabiq magazine. Australian Journal of Political Science, 2016. Vol. 51, pp. 458-477. DOI: 10.1080/10361146.2016.1174188.
  29. Knox J. Visual-verbal Communication on Online Newspaper Home Pages. Visual Communication, 2007. Vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 19-53. DOI: 10.1177/1470357207071464.
  30. Macnair L., R. Frank “To My Brothers in the West…”: A Thematic Analysis of Videos Produced by the Islamic State’s al-Hayat Media Center. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 2017. Vol. 33, no. 3. DOI: 104398621769931 DOI: 10.1177/1043986217699313.
  31. Mendelson A. How Verbalizers and Visualizers Process the Newspaper Environment. Journal of Communication, 2004. Vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 474-491. DOI: 474-491 DOI: 10.1093/joc/54.3.474.
  32. Morris M., Counts S., Roseway A., Hoff A., Schwarz J. Tweeting is believing? Understanding microblog credibility perceptions. CSCW. 2012. Available at: http://research. microsoft.com/pubs/155374/tweet_credibility_ cscw2012.pdf (Accessed: 08.05.2020).
  33. Neumann P. Foreign fighter total in Syria/Iraq now exceeds 20,000; surpasses Afghanistan conflict in the 1980 s // The international centre for the study of radicalisation and political violence (ICSR). 2015. Available at: http://icsr.info/2015/01/foreign-fighter-total-syriairaq-now-exceeds20000-surpasses-afghanistan-conflict-1980s/ Accessed: 22.03.2020).
  34. Peled A. The first social media war between Israel and Gaza. The Guardian, 2012. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media-network/ media-network-blog/2012/dec/06/first-social-mediawar-israel-gaza (Accessed: 22.03.2020).
  35. Pfau M., Haigh M., Fifrick A., Holl D., Tedesco A., Cope J., Nunnally D., Schiess A., Preston D., Roszkowski, P., Martin M. The effects of print news photographs of the casualties of war. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 2006. Vol. 83, no. 1, pp. 150-168. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/107769900608300110.
  36. Richards J. Cyber-War: The anatomy of the global security threat. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. DOI: 10.1057/9781137399625.
  37. Rose G. Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to Researching with Visual Materials. Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue Canadienne de sociologie, 2012. Vol. 49, no. 4. DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-618X.2012.01310.x.
  38. Scheufele D. Agenda-Setting, Priming, and Framing Revisited: Another Look at Cognitive Effects of Political Communication. Mass Communication and Society, 2009. Vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 297-316. DOI: 10.1207/S15327825MCS0323_07.
  39. Scheufele D. A. Framing as a Theory of Media Effects. Journal of Communication, 1999. Vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 103-122. DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.1999.tb02784.x.
  40. Seo H. Visual Propaganda in the Age of Social Media: An Empirical Analysis of Twitter Images During the 2012 Israeli—Hamas Conflict. Visual Communication Quarterly, 2014. Vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 150-161. DOI: 10.1080/15551393.2014.955501.
  41. Seo H., Ebrahim H. Visual Public Relations in Middle Eastern Higher Education: Content Analysis of Twitter Images. Journal of Communication: Media Watch, 2019. Vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 41-53. DOI:10.15655/mw/2019/v10i1/49563.
  42. Seo H., Kinsey D. Meaning of Democracy Around the World: A Thematic and Structural Analysis of Videos Defining Democracy. Visual Communication Quarterly, 2012. Vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 94—107. DOI: 10.1080/15551393.2012.682890.
  43. Seo H., Thorson S. Networks of networks: Changing patterns in country bandwidth and centrality in global information infrastructure, 2002—2010. Journal of Communication, 2012. Vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 345—358. DOI: 10.1111/J.1460-2466.2012.01631.X.
  44. Singh S., Krupaker J. Indo—US Cooperation in Countering Cyber Terrorism: Challenges and Limitations. Strategic Analysis, 2014. Vol. 38, no. 5, pp. 703—716. DOI: 10.1080/09700161.2014.941218.
  45. Tarras-Wahlberg L. ISIS Female Recruits: The Alluring Propaganda Promises. In: P.Baines, N.O’Shaughnessy, N.Snow (eds.). The SAGE Handbook of Propaganda. Newbury Park: Sage Publishing, 2019, pp. 550-565.
  46. Thompson G. Parallels in propaganda? A comparative historical analysis of Islamic State and the Nazi Party. Journal of Public relations research, 2017. Vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 51-66. DOI: 10.1080/1062726X.2017.1281136.
  47. Weimann G. Terror on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The Brown Journal of World Affairs, 2010. Vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 45-54.
  48. Weisburd A. Comparison of Visual Motifs in Jihadi and Cholo Videos on YouTube. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 2009. Vol. 32, no. 12, pp. 1066-1074. DOI: 10.1080/10576100903319789.
  49. Woo D. J., Giles H., Hogg M. A., Goldman L. A social psychology of gangs: An intergroup communication perspective. In: S. H. Decker, D. C. Pyrooz (eds.). Handbook of gangs. New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2015, pp.136-156.

Information About the Authors

Anastasia D. Tikhonova, MA in Psychology, graduate student, Faculty of Legal and Forensic Psychology, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0030-2119, e-mail: GutnikAD@bez.mos.ru

Boris G. Bovin, PhD in Psychology, Docent, Leading Researcher, Federal State Institution Research Institute of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9255-7372, e-mail: bovinbg@yandex.ru

Inna B. Bovina, Doctor of Psychology, Research Director, Associate Professor, Department of Clinical and Legal Psychology, Moscow State University of Psychology & Education, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9497-6199, e-mail: innabovina@yandex.ru

Metrics

Views

Total: 707
Previous month: 9
Current month: 11

Downloads

Total: 173
Previous month: 2
Current month: 2