Social Media Jihad 2.0

Since June 2014, the Islamic State has waged the most aggressive online recruitment and incitement campaign of any terrorist group in history. The unprecedented efficacy of this group’s conversions of popular social media technologies into tools used to build and reinforce support is highlighted by the recent wave of terrorist attacks in the West executed by individuals who have not set foot inside the group’s so-called “caliphate.”

To offer an insider’s view of this campaign New America welcomes Michael S. Smith II, a terrorism analyst and adviser to members of the United States Congress who specializes in the influence operations of Salafi-Jihadist groups like al-Qa’ida and the Islamic State. Mr. Smith is involved with a variety of collection programs targeting online communications which help improve both strategic and tactical intelligence pictures of threats posed by elements comprising the Global Jihad movement. For his work collaborating with hactivists who have infiltrated Islamic State social media networks and online infrastructure to expose threats to the US and its allies, in 2016 Mike was listed among Foreign Policy magazine’s “100 Leading Global Thinkers.”

Follow the discussion online using #ISISOnline and following @NewAmericaISP.

Participant:

Michael S. Smith II @MichaelSSmithII
Terrorism Analyst
Formerly Principal and COO, Kronos Advisory

Moderator:

Peter Bergen @peterbergencnn
Vice President, New America