Turning the Volume Up to 11 is not Enough (part 2): Networks of Influence and Ideological Coherence
On February 3, 2014, the self-proclaimed “Islamic State” (ISIS or ISIL) published a video depicting captured Jordanian pilot Mu’adh al-Kasasiba wearing the notorious orange jump suit. For the background information on the secret negotiation attempt for his release, please check out the detailed contribution by Joas. For this Jihadica posting, let us concentrate on the propaganda side – and works – of ISIS, as announced in our first part. This post looks at three aspects; • How this video fits into the greater puzzle of jihadist ideology including the intersection between text based ideology and the demonstration (via video) of this ideology in practice. • How the elements of the Swarmcast ensured the video would reach a wide audience and maintain a persistent presence. • The limited impact of the response, named #opISIS, by hackers linked to Anonymous seeking to disrupt ISIS media networks. Content matters, as does the means