Researchers call on science fiction to understand extremist psychology
Deakin University researchers have used science fiction to understand terrorist propaganda techniques in an innovative study. Dr Matteo Vergani, postdoctoral researcher at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, and Dr Ana-Maria Bliuc, senior lecturer at Western Sydney University, have used an innovative research strategy to gain new insights about the psychology behind the mobilising propaganda of the "new terrorism".
The researchers undertook computerised linguistic analysis of the language used in two English-language online magazines from ISIS and al-Qaeda, "Dabiq" and "Inspire". The results from analysis of almost 350 articles from the two publications suggest that ISIS' "Dabiq" used language with a stronger authoritarian and religious tone than that of al-Qaeda's "Inspire."
6th February 2018