ABSTRACT

Digital media and terrorism – two of the more recent global developments that continue to generate public interest, media scrutiny, and academic research – have been brought together in the context of growing concerns about the use of social media and the internet by extremists to radicalize and recruit individuals and groups across the globe. The role of the internet in radicalization lies in its ability to present alternative realities and truths that invite people to be part of the social network where the boundaries of belonging are set by terrorists. Concerns regarding the links between the online jihadi milieu and enactments of extremist violence in the 'real world' underpin counter-terrorism measures adopted by multiple national and transnational agencies. While the socio-cultural and historico-political contexts has been recognized as a significant factor in audience research, the novel considerations and conceptualizations of mediation, materiality and the human-technology interface that have been developed alongside the changes in digital technologies are critical.