Terror Groups, Social Media, and Social Learning Theory

Introduction

The central premise of social learning theory is that individuals are socialized to embrace or believe in the values and standards of their society (Grusec, 2006). As Bandura (2018) points out, the primary ways in which socialization occurs are through interaction with peers, groups, and media. The main assumptions of social learning theory can be used to explain why different societies and groups develop and thrive in a given environment. This paper examines and explains how terror groups have been able to thrive in modern-day society by applying the principles of social learning theory to the topic.

How Terror Groups Use Social Media to Recruit

Terror groups are growing rapidly around the world, with extremist organizations developing networks and cells using informal structures and social media campaigns to advance their causes and increase their visibility (DeCook, 2018). Groups like Antifa and the Proud Boys are just two examples of domestic groups that have been linked to terrorist activities by the U.S. government, but there are many other groups, such as ISIS, that have used technology to propagate their aims and attract attention from young people who have no clear direction in their own lives (Vitolo-Haddad, 2019).

Social learning theory provides an explanation for how these groups have been able to grow and thrive in the modern world (Mills, Freilich, Chermak, Holt, & LaFree, 2019). One of the ways researchers have found that terrorists lure individuals into their groups is through social media (Chatfield, Reddick, & Brajawidagda, 2015; Costello & Hawdon, 2018). Social media is a particularly effective vehicle for spreading information across the world, and it allows terror cells to attract lone wolves who might otherwise never find a group to call their own. Social media amplifies the presence and existence of groups — from domestic terror organizations to foreign ones — giving people a way to identify messages and messengers and develop a sense of identity based on what they encounter on the platforms they use (Klein, 2019).

Social Learning Theory and the Radicalization Process

Extremist views, whether on the left or the right, tend to be the proximal mode through which one's environment is transformed. First, an individual is exposed to such views via media, peers, and groups, as Bandura (2018) demonstrates. The person then becomes radicalized and willing to join a group in order to serve that group and its ideology. This is essentially the process by which terror groups thrive, and social media plays a significant part in it by serving as the platform for interaction, cultivation, and recruitment. Without social media, it would be far more difficult for terror groups to disseminate their message and connect with potential recruits (Chatfield et al., 2015).

The essence of social learning theory applied to this context is that individuals learn to embrace extremist views because they inhabit a radicalized world in which extremist ideologies can permeate all environments via social media, which in turn shapes how peers and groups understand the world (Bandura, 2018; Costello & Hawdon, 2018; Grusec, 2006). Rhetoric deployed on these forums fires the imaginations of vulnerable young people who may already feel isolated or detached from more immediate peer groups (Vitolo-Haddad, 2019). This in turn leads to the propagation of memes that foster a new collective identity for the individual caught in the net of online extremism (DeCook, 2018).