When Social Media is Weaponized: Contrasting Jihadi, QAnon, & Russian Disinformation

Who am I?

Professor of Communication, Georgia State University

What do I do?

  • Research on terrorism; my main focus is on suicide terrorism, women and terrorism and children in violent extremist organizations (VEOs).
  • Grants from ONR, DoD, NSF and DHS.

Mixed methods, process tracing, archival research, interviewing

My Current Projects:

  • The role of children in terrorist networks
  • Rape (male and female) as a deliberate and strategic tactic in wartime  esp. in the Middle East & South Asia.
  • Women in AQ, ISIS and Boko Haram.
  • Social Media Addiction and Radicalization
  • Weaponized Conspiracy Theories
  • Insider Threats RMVE Actors


 

Disinformation & Extremism

 

Global Contagion of Disinformation

Going Viral

 

 

 

 


 


 

Using Machine Learning to handle ISIS Big Data

 

 

 

 

 


QAnon is a wide-ranging baseless conspiracy theory that claims an elite group of child-trafficking pedophiles have been ruling the world

Claim: Democrats, Hollywood celebrities & the Royal family (Windsor) are trafficking children & drinking their blood beginning October 2017 AMPLIFIED by Russia.

They thought Donald Trump had a secret plan to bring this group to justice & Save the children.

Spikes in QAnon activity began in March 2020, the increase in the conspiracy theory and its spread to new audiences within the US & Globally were connected to pandemic lockdowns and Russian disinformation.

 

 

 

Wall Street Journal reported that membership in ten large Facebook groups devoted to QAnon grew by more than 600% since the start of Covid-related lockdowns.

 

 

 


Building on Racist Tropes: QAnon conveys that Men of color and Jews .. are coming for your WHITE children

 

Jews Blamed for the Corona Virus

 

 

 


 


QAnon and GOP POLITICS

 

 


There is a overlap between QAnon, anti Mask, anti Vaxxers, Anti 5G, Open Protests, “Stop the Steal” & right wing extremists groups. QAnon beliefs are often held at same time with other adjacent conspiracy beliefs about government overreach.

January 6, 2021 QAnon Supporters Stormed the US Capital

 

 

 

 

Infiltrating the US Military?

 


Flynn’s Long Relationship to Russia

 

  • 20% of those arrested 1/6/21 attack were current or former military.
  • Several have been accused of being part of extremist groups, including Jessica Watkins, Navy veteran and leader of the Oath Keepers.
  • Pentagon announced a review of military for the January 20th inauguration & found 12 people who needed to be removed from the detail, including 2 who had made extremist statements.

 

 

Defense Department launched an investigation into White supremacy in the military.


Thousands of National Guard service members sent to protect Washington, D.C. in the wake 1/6/21.

A U.S. Army officer involved in psychological operations, Capt. Emily Rainey, resigned Monday after commanders at Fort Bragg confirmed they were reviewing her involvement in the riot.

McClellan AFB

Camp Pendleton

Air Station Yuma Fort Campbell

Fort Benning                                                        ©Austin Wright

Fairchild AFB

 

 

 

London 2020: one of 10 rallies held across the UK including events in Birmingham, Bristol & Manchester

 


Q Contagion

 


Russian Disinformation about War in Ukraine