The Role of the Internet and Social Media in Radicalization and Deradicalization

While radicalization may primarily play out in the “real world”, extremists have been adept internet users since the very dawn of the Inte­rnet itself. They not only keep up with technological develop­ments, they expertly use these to achieve aims – as a medium for pro­paganda, recruitment, logistics and financing their teams. Today, the Inter­net has become one of the primary spheres of acti­vity for radicalized groups. Accordingly, there has been a substantial and growing range of research addressing the role the Inter­net and social media in processes of radicalization and deradi­calization.

Two key findings should be highlighted: First, “online extremism” is not parti­cularly innovative but, rather, merely represents a conventional way to use the Internet. Second, the assumption (promo­ted, in particular, by political decision-makers) that we can draw a clear differentiation be­tween “online” and “offline extremism” is misguided. Measures aimed at comba­ting “online radicalization” only succeed when the inter­play between virtual and real-world radicalization is taken into con­sideration.

One question that ultimately arises here is how to counter­act online extremism. Possible counter-measures range from censor­ship and account deletion to strengthening civil society and promo­ting the development of counter-narratives. However, not all measures are equally effective, and each comes with its own ad­vantages and disadvantages that must be considered in the res­pective context.

1. Counter-measures require a balanced mix of defensive and offensive approaches. Political strategies must consider that “on­line extremism” is not a monolithic phenomenon. Additionally, more extensive re­search should be done on the effectiveness of stricter measures compared to softer measures. One re­cent finding, for example, has shown that attempts to censor content or apply pressure to the operators of online platforms merely leads ex­tremist groups to find alternative platforms. Research with a longer-term perspective is needed for further studies.
2. Improved cooperation be­tween public (e.g., state) and private actors (e.g., social media or file-sharing companies) is essential in the fight against extremism. Further research is also needed in this area, such as studies to assess the prac­tical outcomes that algorithm-based measures can achieve.
3. To this end, additional time must be spent investigating and evaluating public-private partnerships and shed light on just how success­ful counter-narrative campaigns can be.
4. Po­litical decision-makers should clearly position themselves in relation to the legal and ethical implications of strict measures such as media censorship and blocking user accounts. More resources should be invested into researching how far-right extremists use the Internet and subsequently comparing these findings to currently predominant re­search work being conducted on jihadist “online ex­tremism”.