ABSTRACT
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is waging a war of ideas on social media. When it comes to the post-terrorism backlash on social media, there are many different camps. Some efforts to harness the power of social media come from official channels, whilst others are waged by members of the public. ISIS has tech savvy recruits too, which means that the result is a truly modern battle, with two sides going to war who have been raised on social media and the internet. The accuracy of the vigilante-gathered data that underpins the activities of such groups is questionable, not having the same scrutiny applied as official sources, such as robustly-tested Federal Bureau of Investigation-gathered intelligence for instance, which may mean mixed results. The methods and modes of dissemination of data have changed, fuelled by the availability of new vehicles in which to drive forth terrorism.
