Online platforms as an environment for multidimensional radicalization? The extremist symbolism and rhetoric of the Daesh terrorist organization

This article is an empirical study of the visual mobilization strategies implemented by terrorist organizations seeking recruits or fighters. Drawing on the interdisciplinary theoretical approach of social movement studies and international relations and security studies, the author focuses on the propaganda narratives used by the Daesh organization from its inception to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2011 and 2022, the Daesh organization produced several publications and recordings containing migratory rhetoric, combined with provocative gender images and political or climate themes. Approaching terrorist propaganda through the lens of actors constructing visual forms of political mobilization, the article shows how the analyzed organizations are supported by professional graphic designers commercializing extremist ideologies by creating ambivalent images and text messages. In doing so, they construct a multidimensional environment that fosters reciprocal and cumulative radicalization.