A cyber-psychological and behavioral approach to online radicalization

Abstract

This chapter attempts to synthesize the mainstream theories of radicalization and the cyber-psychological and behavioral approaches with a view to identifying individuals’ radicalization online. Based on the intersections of those two fields, this chapter first elaborates how radical groups use cyberspace with a specific concentration on the so-called cyber caliphate claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Second, it revisits mainstream theories of radicalization and specifies the psychological and behavioral facets of the radicalization processes proposed by those theories. Following that, it integrates theories of radicalization with cyber-psychological and behavioral explanations of online radicalization to reveal how ISIS’s use of cyberspace attracts individuals and facilitates online radicalization.