U.S. Outgunned by Extremists on New YouTube, Twitter Battlefield

[Purveyor]

By Nicole Gaouette Sep 26, 2014 12:00 AM ET

Islamic State’s 52-second trailer “Flames of War” opens with a black-clad extremist blasting a U.S.-made tank into smoke and shrapnel, a Hollywood-style message to the U.S. and its allies about what they can expect for intervening in the Middle East again.

The nation that has produced Microsoft, Apple (AAPL) and Google now finds itself playing catch-up on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter with an extremist group rooted in 7th Century Arabia.

Islamic State’s use of social media has extended its reach beyond Syria and Iraq to Western and Asian homes, where it tries to convert resentment into radicalism. Countering those messages has become a pillar of the U.S. strategy to defeat the group.

The State Department has set up a Twitter account urging extremists to “Think Again, Turn Away,” which posts descriptions of Muslim communities ravaged by extremists. It’s also running a YouTube channel featuring videos that mock Islamic State for teaching young Muslims to “blow up mosques!”

“Social media is the most effective weapon” of Islamic State, said Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. “Governments have to catch up,” he said. “It will require building totally a new capability.”

more...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-26/u-s-outgunned-by-extremists-on-social-media-battlefield.html

[CJCRANE]

1. It's nice of us to provide a platform for them to recruit and spread their propaganda.

I hope they're grateful.