TY - JOUR
T1 - Exposure to Extremist Online Content Could Lead to Violent Radicalization
T2 - A Systematic Review of Empirical Evidence
AU - Hassan, Ghayda
AU - Brouillette-Alarie, Sébastien
AU - Alava, Séraphin
AU - Frau-Meigs, Divina
AU - Lavoie, Lysiane
AU - Fetiu, Arber
AU - Varela, Wynnpaul
AU - Borokhovski, Evgueni
AU - Venkatesh, Vivek
AU - Rousseau, Cécile
AU - Sieckelinck, Stijn
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.
Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - The main objective of this systematic review is to synthesize the empirical evidence on how the Internet and social media may, or may not, constitute spaces for exchange that can be favorable to violent extremism. Of the 5,182 studies generated from the searches, 11 studies were eligible for inclusion in this review. We considered empirical studies with qualitative, quantitative, and mixed designs, but did not conduct meta-analysis due to the heterogeneous and at times incomparable nature of the data. The reviewed studies provide tentative evidence that exposure to radical violent online material is associated with extremist online and offline attitudes, as well as the risk of committing political violence among white supremacist, neo-Nazi, and radical Islamist groups. Active seekers of violent radical material also seem to be at higher risk of engaging in political violence as compared to passive seekers. The Internet's role thus seems to be one of decision-shaping, which, in association with offline factors, can be associated to decision-making. The methodological limitations of the reviewed studies are discussed, and recommendations are made for future research.
AB - The main objective of this systematic review is to synthesize the empirical evidence on how the Internet and social media may, or may not, constitute spaces for exchange that can be favorable to violent extremism. Of the 5,182 studies generated from the searches, 11 studies were eligible for inclusion in this review. We considered empirical studies with qualitative, quantitative, and mixed designs, but did not conduct meta-analysis due to the heterogeneous and at times incomparable nature of the data. The reviewed studies provide tentative evidence that exposure to radical violent online material is associated with extremist online and offline attitudes, as well as the risk of committing political violence among white supremacist, neo-Nazi, and radical Islamist groups. Active seekers of violent radical material also seem to be at higher risk of engaging in political violence as compared to passive seekers. The Internet's role thus seems to be one of decision-shaping, which, in association with offline factors, can be associated to decision-making. The methodological limitations of the reviewed studies are discussed, and recommendations are made for future research.
KW - extremist online content
KW - Internet
KW - Online violent radicalization
KW - social media
KW - systematic review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85053184056&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3233/DEV-170233
DO - 10.3233/DEV-170233
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85053184056
VL - 12
SP - 71
EP - 88
JO - International Journal of Developmental Sciences
JF - International Journal of Developmental Sciences
SN - 2192-001X
IS - 1-2
ER -