Professor Sporer Article on ISIL’s Cyber Profile

Congratulations to Professor Karyn Sporer. Her article has been published in the Journal Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict
Pathways toward terrorism and genocide.

Ideological rationality and violence: An exploratory study of ISIL’s cyber profile

Pages 57-81 | Received 10 Jun 2016, Accepted 02 Aug 2016, Published online: 31 Jan 2017
This exploratory study examines the narrative space of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Specifically, we developed a methodology to gather, archive, and analyze ISIL’s online presence in social media. Our sample was drawn from transient websites (N = 8308) collected between August 2015 and October 2015. From this pool, we coded a random sample of 100 English-only articles for violent, pragmatic, and ideological themes. Exploratory factor analyses revealed two constructs: violence and ideological rationality. Our findings offer insight into the messaging and organizational dynamics of ISIL. We conclude with implications and future directions.