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Background
Most national counter‐radicalization strategies identify the media, and particularly the Internet as key sources of risk for radicalization. However, the magnitude of the relationships between different types of media usage and radicalization remains unknown. Additionally, whether Internet‐related risk factors do indeed have greater impa...
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Citations
... Notably, whereas the majority of young people go online, only a minority of them get involved in VR processes. As such, it is likely that digital media use does not have a linear relationship with support for VR, but that specific constellations of digital media use are differentially associated with support for VR [8,25]. ...
... Some studies suggest that actively seeking and engaging with extremist content online is associated with higher risk of VR [8,22,25]. Although online interactions with strangers have been associated with higher risk of psychological distress [17,40], the extent to which interactions with known and unknown people around political or current issues are associated, if at all, with support for VR has yet to be explored [23]. ...
... The fact that self-reported news literacy did not differ across profiles questions the pertinence of VR prevention programs that target mainly news literacy skills among youth. Our findings support preliminary results that showed that media literacy did not protect youth from exposure to extremist content online [35] or risks of VR [25]. It has been argued that programs aimed to foster digital literacy may be associated with improved technical competence but leave participants "critically naïve" [72], failing to situate digital competence within the broader socio-political context. ...
Background
Despite the prominent role that digital media play in the lives and mental health of young people as well as in violent radicalization (VR) processes, empirical research aimed to investigate the association between Internet use, depressive symptoms and support for VR among young people is scant. We adopt a person-centered approach to investigate patterns of digital media use and their association with depressive symptoms and support for VR.
Methods
A sample of 2,324 Canadian young people (Mage = 30.10; SDage = 5.44 ; 59% women) responded to an online questionnaire. We used latent profile analysis to identify patterns of digital media use and linear regression to estimate the associations between class membership, depressive symptoms and support for VR.
Results
We identified four classes of individuals with regards to digital media use, named
Average Internet Use/Institutional trust, Average internet use/Undifferentiated Trust, Limited Internet Use/Low Trust and Online Relational and Political Engagement/Social Media Trust. Linear regression indicated that individuals in the Online Relational and Political Engagement/Social Media Trust and Average Internet Use/Institutional trust profiles reported the highest and lowest scores of both depression and support for VR, respectively.
Conclusions
It is essential to tailor prevention and intervention efforts to mitigate risks of VR to the specific needs and experiences of different groups in society, within a socio-ecological perspective. Prevention should consider both strengths and risks of digital media use and simulteaneously target both online and offline experiences and networks, with a focus on the sociopolitical and relational/emotional components of Internet use.
... > 11. 04.2024 letzten Jahren phänomenübergreifend intensiv erforscht worden (Wolfowicz et al. 2020). Obwohl die Zahl der Studien, die sich auf Online-Aktivitäten konzentrieren, zugenommen hat (Wolfowicz, Hasisi, und Weisburd 2022), wird die Frage, welche spezifischen Online-Aktivitäten mit extremistischen Einstellungen zusammenhängen und wie diese Aktivitäten miteinander in Beziehung stehen, zumindest in der quantitativen Forschung immer noch weitgehend ausgespart. ...
... Wolfowicz, Hasisi und Weisburd (2022) haben vier experimentelle und 49 Beobachtungsstudien mit medienbezogenen Risikofaktoren für kognitive und verhaltensbezogene Radikalisierung in ihren systematischen Review aufgenommen. Demnach weisen passive und aktive Formen der Beschäftigung mit radikalen Inhalten im Internet geringe, aber potenziell signifikante Korrelationen mit kognitiver Radikalisierung auf (Wolfowicz, Hasisi, und Weisburd 2022). ...
... Nur selten wurde der Versuch unternommen, diese Verhaltensweisen anhand von grossen quantitativen Stichproben, z. B. anhand von Umfragedaten, zu analysieren (Wolfowicz, Hasisi, und Weisburd 2022). ...
Die Nutzung des Internets durchzieht den Alltag Jugendlicher. Diese technologische Entwicklung geht mit einer Vielzahl an positiven neuen Möglichkeiten einher. Allerdings können insbesondere soziale Medien für Jugendliche ein Risiko darstellen, in Radikalisierungsprozesse hineinzugeraten. In der Forschung wurde bislang kaum betrachtet, welche spezifischen Online-Aktivitäten zu einer Radikalisierung führen bzw. mit ihr einhergehen. Der Zusammenhang zwischen rechtsextremen Einstellungen und verschiedenen Online-Aktivitäten wie Konsum von Internetseiten, Vernetzung und Posting rechter Inhalte wird in diesem Beitrag geschlechtsspezifisch untersucht, da sowohl das Online-Verhalten als auch das Ausmass extremistischer Einstellungen bei Jungen und Mädchen unterschiedlich ausgeprägt ist und somit angenommen werden kann, dass auch der Zusammenhang geschlechtsspezifischer Betrachtung bedarf. Es werden Daten einer Schüler:innenbefragung (N = 6.715) herangezogen, die vom Kriminologischen Forschungsinstitut Niedersachsen durchgeführt und vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung gefördert wurde. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass rechtsextreme Einstellungen mit dem Konsum politischer Websites in Verbindung stehen (insbesondere bei Jungen). Vernetzung und Posting-Verhalten weisen (unabhängig vom Geschlecht) nur geringe Zusammenhänge mit rechtsextremen Einstellungen auf.
... In fact, a meta-analysis showed that exposure effects of radicalizing material are typically weak unless specific moderators are considered [31]. On the one hand, the impact of radicalizing information is stronger for those characterized by higher levels of thrill seeking [8] and trait aggression [31]. ...
... In fact, a meta-analysis showed that exposure effects of radicalizing material are typically weak unless specific moderators are considered [31]. On the one hand, the impact of radicalizing information is stronger for those characterized by higher levels of thrill seeking [8] and trait aggression [31]. On the other hand, the frequency of exposure to radicalizing content likely shapes its influence. ...
Exposure to radicalizing information has been associated with support for violent extremism. It is, however, unclear whether specific information use behavior, namely, a distinct pattern of incidental exposure (IE) to and active selection (AS) of radicalizing content, indicates stronger violent extremist attitudes and radical action intentions. Drawing on a representative general population sample ( N = 1509) and applying latent class analysis, we addressed this gap in the literature. Results highlighted six types of information use behavior. The largest group of participants reported a near to zero probability of both IE to and AS of radicalizing material. Two groups of participants were characterized by high or moderate probabilities of incidental exposure as well as a low probability of active selection of radicalizing content. The remaining groups displayed either low, moderate, or high probabilities of both IE and AS. Importantly, we showed between-group differences regarding violent extremist attitudes and radical behavioral intentions. Individuals reporting near zero or high probabilities for both IE to and AS of radicalizing information expressed the lowest and strongest violent extremist attitudes and willingness to use violence respectively. Groups defined by even moderate probabilities of AS endorsed violent extremism more strongly than those for which the probability for incidental exposure was moderate or high but AS of radicalizing content was unlikely.
... Scholars have described the emergence of "stochastic terrorism", which posits that social media discussions can incite random actors to carry out violent or terrorist acts that are statistically predicable, even though the timing and specific targets of these attacks remain unpredictable (Hamm & Spaaij, 2017;Miller-Idriss, 2022;Tsesis, 2017). Both experimental evidence and observational studies have found that passive and, particularly, active exposure to radical online content increases both support for and involvement in political violence (Hassan et al., 2018;Karell et al., 2023;Müller & Schwarz, 2020a, 2020bWolfowicz, Hasisi & Weisburd, 2022). ...
... They conclude that these findings may support policymakers' concerns about the role of the Internet in radicalisation, but offer a cautionary note that the quality of evidence is low and that many of the studies suffered from bias, which they suggest is a reason to interpret the findings with caution. Hassan et al. (2018) conduct a similar study to Wolfowicz, Hasisi, and Weisburd (2022), attempting to ascertain whether the Internet may act as a space which is favourable to radicalisation. 3 They find that there is tentative evidence that radical online content is associated with both online and 1 The Review consisted of 53 studies from 2002-2020, four of which used experimental methods and 49 were experimental. ...
... One theme that frequently emerges within the academic literature is the lack of rich data, robust methods, or conceptual clarity when thinking about online radicalisation. As noted above, Wolfowicz, Hasisi, and Weisburd (2022) note that the field of propaganda effects suffers from biased studies. Hassan et al. (2018) highlight a range of limitations that are not acknowledged by authors, including retrospective or cross-sectional designs which makes the direction of effects impossible to determine; the use of self-report data; a reliance on small samples that are generated from snowballing or self-selection; and a lack of baseline measures or comparison groups. ...
... As this report has demonstrated in detail, the relationship between acting within radical networks online or engaging with propaganda and committing acts of violent extremism is an extremely complex one. Studies have repeatedly shown that offline interactions still remain a key part of radicalisation (Herath and Whittaker 2021;Whittaker 2021;Gill et al. 2017;Reynolds and Hafez 2019) and there is still much to learn about the relationship between consuming radical content and engaging in violence (Conway 2017;Wolfowicz, Hasisi, and Weisburd 2022). ...
... Online uitingen en oproepen via sociale media maken onmiskenbaar deel uit van het ontstaan en de opbouw van maatschappelijke onrust. Passieve en actieve blootstelling aan polariserende online content stimuleert het proces van radicaliseren (Wolfowicz, Hasisi & Weisburd, 2022). Daar gaat een complexe dynamiek achter schuil, zowel aan de kant van de mensen die protesteren, als aan de kant van de overheid, de opsporing en de handhaving. ...
Ongeloof en onbegrip overheersen als in de zomer van 2020 in de Haagse Schilderswijk en het Utrechtse Kanaleneiland rellen uitbreken. Net als in de dagen na de 'avondklokrellen', als het tussen 23 en 27 januari 2021 onrustig is in 21 Nederlandse steden. Of toen in Rotterdam op 19 november 2021 een kleine demonstratie omsloeg in een grootschalige 'orgie van geweld'. Op de ene plek gaat het er harder aan toe dan op de andere: scherper geweld, vernielingen en soms plunderingen, confrontaties met de politie. In het nieuws domineert die rauwe kant. Nederland reageert afkeurend. Zien wat er achter maatschappelijke onrust, ordeverstoringen en rellen zit, is niet zo simpel. Hoe reconstrueer je dat gelaagde verhaal? En hoe vertel je 't vervolgens op een samenhangende manier? Er bestaat verschil tussen wat iemand in een bepaalde situatie waarneemt ('feiten') en hoe iemand die situatie ervaart ('perceptie'). Bij het onderzoeken van een subjectief beleefd, situationeel gekleurd fenomeen als onrust (die escaleert in ordeverstoringen) is dat onderscheid belangrijk. Wat voor de een bedreigend en gewelddadig is, ervaart de ander als een noodzakelijke demonstratie van ongenoegen, en weer een ander als sensatie in de stad. Maatschappelijke onrust is een gelaagd fenomeen. Soms is er scherpte, duiken complotten op die met een dwingende maar zeker niet altijd onbegrijpelijke logica van argumenten mensen onrustig maken. Soms is het meer een moeilijk te ontwarren kluwen van allerlei observaties die mensen kennelijk bang en boos maken. Wie die gelaagdheid niet ziet, mist de bronnen van onrust in de samenleving en loopt daarmee het risico de plank mis te slaan in een zoektocht naar oplossingen voor conflicten.
... VR processes. As such, it is likely that digital media use does not have a linear relationship with support for VR, but that speci c constellations of digital media use are differentially associated with support for VR (8, 25). ...
... Some studies suggest that actively seeking and engaging with extremist content online is associated with higher risk of VR (8, 22,25). Although online interactions with strangers have been associated with higher risk of psychological distress (17,41), the extent to which interactions with known and unknown people around political or current issues are associated, if at all, with support for VR has yet to be explored (23). ...
... The fact that self-reported news literacy did not differ across classes questions the pertinence of VR prevention programs that target mainly news literacy skills among youth. Our ndings support preliminary results that showed that media literacy did not protect youth from exposure to extremist content online (36) or risks of VR (25). It has been argued that programs aimed to foster digital literacy may be associated with improved technical competence but leave participants "critically naïve" (70), failing to situate digital competence within the broader socio-political context. ...
Background
Despite the prominent role that digital media play in the lives and mental health of young people as well as in violent radicalization (VR) processes, empirical research aimed to investigate the association between Internet use, depressive symptoms and support for VR among young people is scant. We adopt a person-centered approach to investigate patterns of digital media use and their association with depressive symptoms and support for VR.
Methods
A sample of 2,324 Canadian young people (Mage = 30.10; SDage = 5.44 ; 59% women) responded to an online questionnaire. We use latent class analysis to identify patterns of digital media use and linear regression to estimate the associations between class membership, depressive symptoms and support for VR.
Results
We identified three classes of individuals in regards to digital media use, named Personal sphere/Low Trust, Social conformity/Institutional Trust, Online Community/Undifferentiated Trust. Linear regression indicated that individuals in the Online Community/Undifferentiated Trust class were at greater risk, whereas individuals in the Social conformity/Institutional Trust class were at lower risk of both depression and supporting VR compared to individuals in the Personal sphere/Low Trust.
Conclusions
It is essential to tailor prevention and intervention efforts to mitigate risks of VR to the specific needs and experiences of different groups in society, within a socio-ecological perspective. Prevention should consider both strengths and risks of digital media use and simulteaneously target both online and offline experiences and networks, with a focus on the relational/emotional components of Internet use.
... Although various meta-analyses focusing on risk factors for radicalization and violent extremism have been released in the last few years (e.g., Wolfowicz et al., 2020Wolfowicz et al., , 2021Wolfowicz et al., , 2022Zych & Nasaescu, 2022), the purpose of the present meta-analysis is to put into test the SQT and its 3N model by systematically retrieving all relevant quantitative (un)published studies, based on primary data, mobilizing the SQT framework and its 3N model. Precisely, it aims to examine the strength of the association between need, narrative, network, and violent extremism. ...
Given the pervasiveness of violent extremism all over the globe, understanding its psychological underpinnings is key in the fight against it. According to the Significance Quest Theory and its 3N model, violent extremism (i.e., violent and deviant behavior) is a function of three elements: need, narrative, and network. In the present meta-analysis, in order to put into test the theory and its model, we aimed to establish the strength of the association between these three elements, as well as the quest for significance itself, and violent extremism; and investigate if these associations are influenced by methodological decisions (i.e., sampling and measurements/manipulations). A literature search was performed through electronic platforms, a call for unpublished or in-press data, and backward snowballing. Seventeen reports, comprising 42 studies, met full inclusion criteria: quantitative studies based on primary data assessing for the association of at least one of the 3Ns, or quest for significance, and violent extremism, and providing sufficient data for effect size extraction. Findings are reported according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Random-effect meta-analyses rendered statistically significant pooled effect sizes in all the investigated associations. The association is strong for quest for significance, moderate for narrative and network, and low for need for significance. Subgroup analyses demonstrate that the detection of these associations is influenced by methodological decisions concerning the measurements and manipulations, but not by those concerning the sampling. We discuss these findings and suggest future research directions aiming to improve the predictive power of the theory and its model.
... 10 This frequent exposure to extreme ideology can then potentially lead to an individual becoming radicalized and adopting the extreme ideas and notions they are being exposed to online. 11 However, the influence and inclusion of social media and the internet is not only a phenomenon involved with group radicalization but there is evidence to suggest that the internet has become a prominent instigator and facilitator for the lone wolf radicalization process, allowing individuals to become familiar and indulge with extreme opinions and ideologies from the comfort of their own home. 12 With the internet and social media providing these individuals with all the information they need regarding the extreme notions and narratives, they are able to adopt these newfound ideologies without receiving any interaction from other likeminded individuals or any of the groups that are promoting this content online. ...
Previous research has highlighted the prominent behavior of lone wolf terrorists to produce and share a manifesto publicly, outlining their frustrations and motivations for their eventual terrorist attack. This article aims to explore this phenomenon, focusing on the timelapse between when a terrorist manifesto is posted online and when the eventual attack occurs, discussing the time difference between the two events for 12 cases of lone wolf terrorism. The results revealed that the average time lapse between when a manifesto was posted online and when the terrorist attack occurs is one hour, 43 min. Limitations and implications are discussed in detail.
... This field has been researched intensively in recent years (Wolfowicz et al., 2020). Although the number of studies focusing on online activity has increased (Wolfowicz et al., 2022), the question of which specific online activities are related to extremist attitudes and how these activities relate to one another is still ignored, at least in quantitative research. ...
... The authors argue that this may be explained by the clandestine character of violent extremists' online behavior due to fear of law enforcement agencies. Wolfowicz et al. (2022) included four experimental and 49 observational studies with media-related risk factors for cognitive and behavioral radicalization in their systematic review. Ac-cording to their review, passive and active forms of engagement with radical content on the Internet reveal small but potentially significant correlations with cognitive radicalization (Wolfowicz et al., 2022). ...
... Wolfowicz et al. (2022) included four experimental and 49 observational studies with media-related risk factors for cognitive and behavioral radicalization in their systematic review. Ac-cording to their review, passive and active forms of engagement with radical content on the Internet reveal small but potentially significant correlations with cognitive radicalization (Wolfowicz et al., 2022). ...
Die Radikalisierungsforschung untersucht Faktoren und Bedingungen von Prozessen, die hin zu Extremismus führen können. Ein häufig genannter Faktor ist das Internet. Diese Arbeit untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen verschiedenen passiven und aktiven Internetaktivitäten, wie das Konsumieren, Vernetzen und Posten mit extremistischen Einstellungen im Bereich Islamismus und Rechtsextremismus bei Jugendlichen. Daten einer Schüler*innenbefragung (N = 6,715) zeigen, dass rechtsextreme Einstellungen insbesondere bei Jungen mit dem Konsum politischer Websites einhergehen, während Posting nur geringe und das Netzwerken keine Zusammenhänge mit rechtsextremen Einstellungen zeigen. Bei islamistischen Einstellungen zeigen sich dagegen Zusammenhänge mit dem Konsum von islamistischen Gewaltvideos, dem Vernetzen mit anderen Muslim*innen und dem Posten islamischer Inhalte.
