Boko Haram/Islamic State

: Mediating social identity and building a common cause through cyber-Jihad propaganda

Abstract

The splintering of Boko Haram and difficulties ascertaining concrete external jihadi linkages, still generates debates about Islamic State’s influence levels on the group’s propaganda, identity, and causes. Considering current debates around terrorist propaganda, this thesis explores this problem through an original take on the study of terrorist social identity and cause-building in cyber jihad propaganda imagery. It critically examines 160 publicly available propaganda videos from the groups accessible at documentingreality.com, deathdaddict.com, bestgore.com and liveleaks.com. It focuses between 2015-2017 when Boko Haram pledged allegiance to Islamic State until their defeat in December 2017. Cyberjihad propaganda imagery is significant in political communication, terrorism, propaganda, social identity, and virtual communities, as it helps shape a multidisciplinary discourse on modern Islamic jihad. This work is significant in managing international security by understanding how these issues link two distinct terrorist groups. It answers questions on social identity traits presence in propaganda imagery, identity themes and meaning types, shared sense of belonging mediation and common cause building. These questions set the scene for deciphering how group identity and causes connect to wider arguments in Islamic political violence and identity. This study uses content analysis, visual framing and semiotic analysis to chart patterns and issues in propaganda videos samples. By analysing documented huduud executions, extrajudicial killings, battlefield deaths and assassinations, the methodology arrived at findings which indicated the groups’ propaganda mediated social identity through material culture, symbolic culture, and behaviour patterns. The dominant themes are apocalyptic eschatology, aestheticization of violence, faith-based synchronized violence, humiliation, purgation, deculturation and anti-westernization sentiments. The most dominant frame was retributive. The findings enabled formulation of two theories: Social Strategic Hypocrisy, critical for understanding double standards and ideological compromises. Gibbing and Overkill, critical in explaining unique violence patterns. The study suggested further research in encrypted and AI terrorist content.

Date of Award	30 Apr 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Roehampton
Sponsors	TERTIARY EDUCATION TRUST FUND (TETFUND) NIGERIA
Supervisor	Deborah Jermyn (Director of Studies) & Paul Rixon (Co-Supervisor)