Electronic Mind Washing in Conjunction with the Emersion of Terrorist Organizations A study of the Islamic State Organization (ISIL) Usage of Digital Techniques in Recruiting Youths and Teenagers

DOI: 10.46988/IJMMC.01.01.2019.001

Abstract

This study has been conducted from two different perspectives; the first one is “electronic mind washing” and differentiated it from the psychological communication term “classical mind washing." The second focus is to research the methods of this electronic mind wash used by terrorist organizations, particularly the Islamic State, also known as (Daesh / ISIL) to recruit the youth and the teenagers. Moreover, to compare those techniques with the classical mind wash techniques and try to know how these digital techniques are used in mind wash, and how much the youth is exposed to it through social media or other sites on the internet. This study reveals five signs that if one or more of those signs appeared on any ‘Youngman’ using specific digital techniques, then it will indicate that he is mind washed and recruited digitally; those signs are as follows: isolation, absent-mindedness, shortness tempered in arguments, sudden change of behavior, intransigence. A positive correlation was proven statistically between being exposed to media websites belonging to those terrorist organizations, and these signs' appearance on young men.