Online Channels for the Spread of Jihadist Ideology in the Europe of 2016

• In Event: Hate is in the Air: Defining, Identifying and Understanding Hate Speech and Radicalization Speech in Cyberspace

Abstract

The perpetrators of the actions committed by islamist terrorism in Europe in recent years have had a similar socio-behavioral profile, paying special attention to the significant presence of young muslims coming from the second and third generation immigrants. This might lead to think of certain continuity in the subjective element of the threat. However, the islamist radicalization processes, what is known as the environmental element of the jihadist terrorism, has undergone a remarkable evolution in recent years. A significant change in how the jihadist ideology is being transmitted cannot be denied. These ways have gone from using mainly physical surroundings to giving priority to virtual ones by means of the Internet.
The goal of this communication is to present the online transmission channels of jihadist ideology in Europe from an environmental perspective. Consequently, it should be considered not only the profile of the so-called "digital natives", but also the leading role that the Web 2.0 has acquired in this process, and its impact in the whole channels of online communication. For this purpose, the results of an investigation which has focused on the analysis of various Web pages and social jihadist online networks in some European countries are presented.

Authors

• Miguel Angel Cano Paños, Universidad de Granada

• Samuel Rodríguez Ferrández, Universidad de Murcia