Recruiting Terrorists Online

Recruiting Terrorists Online The recruitment of lone wolf terrorists relies on online platforms and requires a gradual transition through numerous phases. The Net 1 All online platforms may be used at this stage, official websites, Facebook pages, and personal email to YouTube video clips and Twitter messages. At this step, recruiters view the whole population as primed for recruitment and exposes it to an online message, video, taped lecture, or word document. The target audience is viewed as homogeneous enough and receptive enough to be approached with a single undifferentiated pitch, to which some members willI respond positively, others negatively. You Tube 11 The Funnel The Infection When a terrorist recruiter believes a The infection stage often relies on the "seed crystal" practice, comparable to lowering the temperature of a glass of water until ice crys- tals form as the seeds of a complete freeze. In "seed crystal" recruitment, different forces can be used to "chill the glass" and increase the hardness of the "freeze." These forces may target is ripe for recruitment yet requires a significant transformation in identity and motivation, he or she uses an incremental, or phased, approach that capitalizes on a wealth of techniques well studied in cognitive, social, and clinical psychology. This stage relies on a virtual social bonding, based on the target's alienation, social frustration, solitude, and personal pessimism. It involves online exchanges and further exposure to religious, political, or ideological material. include advanced radicalization by continuous exposure to online radical material and virtual online guidance. In terms of al-Qaeda, the seed crystal approach is most successful in diasporas or populations where open recruiting is difficult or impossible. ji>cii 4 The Activation This step includes practical instructions (via online manuals) on using explosives, weapons, poisons, and chemicals; directions regarding the selection of target, location, and timing; and the final send-off. WI Wilson Center Gabriel Weimann, New Terrorism and New Media http://bit.ly/new_terrorism Gabriel Weimann, Virtual Packs of Lone Wolves O COMMONS LAB http://bit.ly/lonewolf14