Press. voanews.com.
Opponents of the
Islamic State group outnumber the extremists' supporters on Twitter, although
those who are pro-IS are more active on the social media channel, a Rand
Corporation study said.
The nonprofit
research organization's study found that IS opponents outnumber supporters
6-to-1 on Twitter, even though the extremist group reputedly has found Twitter
to be a highly effective tool for recruiting new members.
The Rand study
said ISIS has been more effective than any other terrorist organization,
including al-Qaida, at using social media to deliver its message and inspire
supporters.
"Al-Qaida
was using social media channels just for mass communications purposes,"
Keneshbek Sainazarov, a director of the global peace-building organization
Search for Common Ground, said in an interview with VOA. IS activists use
Twitter "for their own benefit," he added, "making a link with
potential recruiters, creating a channel for further dialogue and
engagement."
Over 10 months,
Rand analyzed over 23 million tweets in Arabic and found that IS supporters
averaged 50 percent more tweets than opponents on a typical day.
The report found
evidence, however, that opponents of IS are becoming more active on Twitter.
The researchers recommended that the U.S. bolster efforts to support IS
opponents on Twitter by offering more training.
"Organizations
such as the U.S. military and the State Department looking to countermessage
[Islamic State] on Twitter should tailor messages and target them to specific
communities," said Elizabeth Bodine-Baron, lead author of the Rand study.
"The ISIS Twitter universe is highly fragmented and consists of several
different communities with different concerns, so messages need to be aimed at
specific audiences, rather than trying to craft a one-size-fits-all
message."
When analyzing
tweets sent from July 2014 to April 2015, researchers identified more than
20,000 distinct user communities. Despite the fragmentation, the patterns of
connection between communities opposed to IS suggest potential opportunities
the government can explore to weaken Islamic extremists' prowess on Twitter.
Near the end of
the study's reporting period, researchers said they saw a decline in the number
of active IS supporters on Twitter, while the number of opponents increased.
The report said these changes coincided with Twitter's suspension of many of
the accounts maintained by Islamic State's followers and sympathizers.
"The root
causes for radicalization and violent extremism are very, very deep,"
Sainazarov told VOA. He recommended that countries adopt four different
approaches to counter violent extremism: prevention, disengagement,
facilitation of effective state responses, and amplification of credible and
constructive narratives.
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