I discussed this topic in the NECSE post titled “Local Terrorism is a Global Problem” (16 Feb 2015), when I wrote: “Generally speaking, the effect of the internet culture on youth is to promote their physical isolation and social fragmentation while making it possible–not to mention more likely and desirable–for young men and women to seek out and join “virtual communities” composed of people who share their views and think like them. These associations in cyberspace allow someone who has never visited, say, the Middle East, to fall under the influence of Islamic extremists, become intellectually and emotionally radicalized to jihadist violence, learn to build bombs and the effective means for emplacing them, and carry out an attack. All without having to travel anywhere.”

Simply put, ISIL is exploiting the social media phenomenon with ever increasing skill and success, using even well-known social websites to spread their message and gain adherents to their cause.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-31854755