Understanding the dissemination of ISIS beheading videos through the diffusion of innovations (DoI) theory

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the integral role of beheading videos published by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in its establishment of allegiances and channels of communication with affiliated jihadist groups to expand its Dune organization. Coined by Mishal and Rosenthal [2005. Al Qaeda as a Dune organization: Toward a typology of Islamist terrorist organizations. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 28(4), 275–293], the concept of ‘Dune organization’ is a terrorist structure that fluctuates between local presence and disappearance. Put another way, it is a tactic that allows global terrorist organisations to assume dune-like behaviours. The theoretical framework for this analysis is Diffusion of Innovations (DoI). DoI explains the manner and the rate by which innovations (i.e. new ideas or inventions) spread across the globe Rogers [1962. Diffusion of innovations (1st ed.). New York: The Free Press]. An important conclusion of this analysis is that the difficulty of media-sharing sites like YouTube to filter and vet content are characteristics of the technological innovations that promote the use of these channels to diffuse ISIS beheading videos.

KEYWORDS:

• Beheading videos
• diffusion of innovations
• Dune organization
• globalisation
• Islamic State
• jihad
• Middle East
• social media
• terrorism
• YouTube

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).