Impact of the Internet and Social Media on Homegrown Extremism (Essay Sample)

The Impact of the Internet and Social Media on Homegrown Extremism in North America
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The Impact of Internet and Social Media on Homegrown Extremism in North America
The contemporary society is significantly digital, and as people embrace modern technology and its enormous opportunity, the internet has become the primary driver and, therefore, a useful component of our day to day lives. For instance, 80% of people in the United States are active in at least one social media platform. Extremist groups are part of the global society and have equally welcomed the internet and more specifically the social media as a tool to spread and grow the extremist agenda. For instance, social media offer terror groups the capability to find vulnerable individuals, communicate, and convince them on their criminal agendas, which are often disguised as a religion or culture. The internet enables terrorists to reach a wider audience than traditional media and can use it as an effective tool of radicalization and recruitment. This paper focuses on the impact of the internet, specifically social media on homegrown extremism in North America. The influx of homegrown terrorists in North America, more precisely in the United States, has influenced an increase in research interest in the topic of the internet as a tool of terrorist recruitment. Scholars and relevant government agencies try to analyze the actual impact of social media on the growth of extremist recruitment.