ABSTRACT
As an increasing number of studies argue that the so-called rise of lone actor terrorism is linked to the Internet, it is important to take a closer look at what role it actually plays, if any. This chapter investigates whether those who interact virtually with like-minded activists display markedly different experiences than those who do not. A person found many forms of learning that informed different stages of the attack-planning and attack-commissioning process. They include accessing ideological content, opting for violence, choosing a target, preparing an attack, and overcoming hurdles. The accessing ideological content outlines how some of our cases found and took on new ideological identity through virtual learning carried out absent of virtual interactions with co-ideologues. A smaller number of lone actor terrorists decided to turn toward violent activities after virtually learning through non-ideologically-oriented materials. The author tested a wide range of socio-demographic characteristics (age, education, profession, family characteristics, relationship status, etc) and their relationship with virtual activity.
