Social Media as a Source of Radicalization: A Case Study of Pakistan

Abstract

Since its inception Pakistan has been confronted with multiple internal and external security challenges, however, the post-9/11 attacks scenario further complicated the landscape of religious extremism, radicalization and terrorism. The surge in terrorism in Afghanistan brought spillover effects of the War on Terror on Pakistan and experienced a transition from old to new terrorism, where extremist organizations incorporate internet to disseminate propaganda, generate funds and recruit & train people. This study integrates the media dependency theory to understand social media, dark web and radicalization nexus. Furthermore, the study investigates radicalization through social media by terrorist organizations in Pakistan with the help of case studies of Noureen Jabbar Laghari and Bushra Cheema. Five ways to counter radicalization in Pakistan have been suggested including a counter-narrative on social media, content analysis of the data on the internet, curriculum and Madrassa reforms, peace education and use of technical software such as eGLYPH to quickly remove radical data from social media. Lastly, the research attempts to contribute to counter-radicalization by combining the media dependency model and ideas for counter-radicalization as the dependency model elaborates on the impact of mass media content on the audience.