Picturing the Islamic State's Online Propaganda: Vanishing or Resurfacing from the World Wide Web?

Abstract

This paper attempts to contribute to academic discussion on the current state and capabilities of the Islamic State’s digital propaganda. Its primary objective was to measure and analyze one month’s output of the “Caliphate’s” cyber jihadist machine, released on the non-Arabic “surface web.” It also attempted to identify the dominant themes and types of productions exploited by the Islamic State during this period. It argues that the long-term campaign attempting to cripple the propaganda of Daesh on the Internet has not yet brought satisfying effects. Its productions in various forms are still easily achievable on the non-Arabic “surface web,” even through standalone websites, which are rarely and slowly banned by the law enforcement. In this context, while its releases are still easily accessible by the average Western Internet users, their quality and quantity were visibly reduced, which makes them slightly less alluring for some potential audiences. This, in turn, confirms that the current, difficult situation of this terrorist organization has had a significant impact on its digital jihadist capabilities.

Keywords: Islamic State, Daesh, cyber jihad, propaganda, terrorism, Internet