ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the role that media, and new media in particular, plays in the communication of violent and nonviolent ideological groups. The unregulated and decentralized nature of new media translates into new avenues for growth and communication for ideologues. An observation is provided is to recognize that new media is dynamic, and therefore people not affiliated with a particular group may actively seek to disrupt the influence processes used by the ideological groups. The chapter outlines some literature and propositions to guide future crisis communication research in the new media area. This is accomplished by first relaying relevant literature in psychology and communication related to ideological groups and new media. Nonviolent ideologues will view both traditional and new media as credible, while violent ideologues will only view ideologically-related new media sources as credible. In a more applied sense, risk and crisis communication researchers may also be interested in methods for disrupting the recruitment and indoctrination of potential violent ideologues.
