Tweeting Terror to the Top: Measuring the Efficacy of the Islamic State’s Social Media Campaign

Abstract

Only an exclusive few, a certain indigo square and its lowercase letter within, a vintage Polaroid camera, for example, parallel the global ubiquity of a certain cerulean chick. Its beak open and wing aloft, the power this bird wields may not be apparent at first glance. Yet with 140 characters or so, the strength of the message it carries can trek across continents and back as fast as its creator can press the Return key. It can generate friendships, establish a brand, make someone famous and teach powerful lessons. It can also destroy a career, unite a revolution, and, most relevant to this document, carry and promote evil. The same creature whose friendly appearance signifies one of the world’s most powerful social media platforms, the microblogging service Twitter, can also be found clad in a different costume, clothed in black with Arabic text and symbols upon its front.