The weapons of choice: Terrorist armament culture and the use of firearms in online propaganda and identity-building through cyberspace

Abstract

Weapons are an integral part of the identity and narratives of various paramilitary and extremist movements – especially jihadi groups and extremist right-wing terrorists. They have been tied to propaganda and psychological operations (PsyOps) and furthermore foster related narratives online. However, although weapons play a critical role with regards to identity-building and the paramilitary perception of statehood (also: “rebel governance”), they have largely remained absent from the academic discourse. At the same time, the presence of various armaments proliferates cyberspace as well as the real world. The Islamic State (IS) has even featured its own weapons factories in its propaganda videos in order to display the group’s innovative capabilities, legitimisation and notion of nation-building. These improvised armaments have been used as a vehicle to transport IS’ ideology aside of providing an ideological justification as to why certain weapons are used in combat. Also, when looking towards far-right terrorism one can recognise the central role of weapons; i.e. AR-15 assault rifles. It is thus relevant to assess the presence, utilisation and glorification of specific weaponry and how certain movements have attached their “identity-building” efforts to them, thus linking ideology and technological innovation. The weapon itself can indeed become part of a group’s narrative and identity (especially with regards to masculinities), using cyberspace as a vehicle and platform to showcase its innovative capabilities and to distribute narratives. Thus, this paper aims to assess the relevance certain weapons have to a terrorist armament culture as well as on the respective movements bearing them, the impact improvisation and innovation can have on narratives and to what extend different paramilitary, extremist and terrorist movements have defined themselves through their weapons when engaging in cyber propaganda and psychological operations in cyberspace as well as offline.