This study explores the Twitter activities of Turkish supporters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from 2019 to 2022, focusing on hashtag usage patterns. As a central part of ISIS's online strategy, hashtags are pivotal in disseminating propaganda, coordinating campaigns, and soliciting support. By analyzing 202,327 tweets, this research offers insights into thematic priorities and interconnections within ISIS-related discourse. Employing descriptive and network analyses, key findings reveal a steady increase in ISIS-supportive tweets, the emergence of clusters around aid and familial support, and distinct, unconnected hashtag groups reflecting various narratives. Hashtags related to financial aid, such as #saveprisoners and #elholcamp, emerge as central, highlighting a covert system of funding through social media and encrypted communication. This paper underscores the complexity of ISIS's digital influence in Türkiye, emphasizing the need for multifaceted countermeasures involving tech platforms, security forces, and media awareness campaigns to combat online extremist activities effectively.
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Monday, August 26, 2024
Bridging Disciplinary Gaps and Methodological Challenges in Understanding Deepfake Discourse: A Study of Turkish Reddit Posts Related to Deepfake
Abstract
This study explores the evolving landscape of deepfake discussions, focusing particularly on Turkish posts on Reddit. While deepfake technology gained prominence in 2017, the academic community's interest surged, with studies primarily concentrating on deepfake detection. However, there is a dearth of research on public perceptions and online discourse surrounding deepfake. Through text analysis, this study explores Turkish Reddit posts, uncovering that a substantial portion (69.4%) focuses on deepfakes with sexual content, particularly featuring celebrities (60.2%). Politics also emerges as a prominent theme, constituting 22% of the content, with an additional 8.6% dedicated to technical aspects of deepfake creation. Over time, posts on sexual deepfake content, particularly those featuring celebrities, dominate, but during the May 2023 presidential and general elections, political deepfakes gained traction. Despite shedding light on content trends, the study faces two significant limitations. The first limitation is methodological. Studies relying solely on text analysis struggle to offer comprehensive insights into people's perceptions of deepfake. Therefore, a more profound understanding can be attained through qualitative face-to-face interviews, allowing for a deeper exploration of individuals' perspectives. The second limitation is disciplinary. Research encompassing diverse disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and media studies would yield more nuanced results in comprehending both the broader framework of public and societal perceptions on the topic and their deeper intricacies.
Key words: Deepfake, Türkiye, Reddit, Interdisciplinary Approach, Dictionary-based Text Analysis, Mixed Methods
Link: https://ojs.library.carleton.ca/index.php/J-ICSLAC/article/view/4839/3551
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Comparative Analysis of the Content of Online Magazines of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Different Languages: Dabiq, Rumiyah, and Konstantiniyye
Abstract
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) effectively uses online magazines for propaganda, leveraging advanced internet technologies to disseminate its message in multiple languages. This study investigates ISIS's use of online magazines to promote its self-proclaimed jihad and attract recruits globally. While existing research examines ISIS's multilingual magazines, few studies comprehensively compare them across languages. This study conducts a text analysis of Dabiq and Rumiyah in English and Konstantiniyye in Turkish. The findings reveal that all magazines construct distinct “us” versus “them” identities, focusing on religion and justification. Konstantiniyye, targeting Turkish Muslims, emphasizes stronger religious themes compared to Dabiq and Rumiyah. Overall, these magazines discuss legal systems, jihad, state structure, and social order, advocating for Muslim unification under a single “caliphate.” This analysis sheds light on ISIS's diverse propaganda strategies tailored to different linguistic contexts.
Keywords: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS); Dictionary-based Analysis; Dabiq; Rumiyah; Konstantiniyye
LINK: https://journals.tplondon.com/ipr/article/view/3313
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
A Hashtag Perspective: Examining ISIS Supporter Activities on Twitter in Türkiye between 2019 and 2022
Recent advancements in social media technologies have significantly impacted both individuals and terrorist organizations. This study examines the Twitter activities of ISIS's Turkish supporters from 2019 to 2022, focusing on the hashtags they used. The study employs a hashtag network analysis to explore the relationships and central themes among the hashtags used in 202,327 tweets by 666 different users. The analysis reveals a central cluster of hashtags related to various forms of aid, particularly financial support, often connected with hashtags like #elholcamp and #yoursisterinprisoncamp, which pertain to families of ISIS members detained in YPG-controlled camps. Additionally, Turkish supporters of ISIS solicit financial aid via Twitter, phone numbers, and Telegram, using religious hadiths to legitimize their efforts. The findings underscore the sophisticated use of social media by ISIS supporters to sustain their activities in Türkiye and beyond, highlighting the need for a multifaceted response involving tech companies, security forces, local communities, and the media. This collaboration is crucial to detect, report, and mitigate the misuse of social media for terrorist purposes and to educate the public about these activities.