Peter, Ada (2017) Skewed global-focusing and global-spectacle of ISIS: A subtle media strategy for manufacturing popular dissent for terrorism as a legitimate approach for seeking political change in the Middle East. ICSPS. (In Press)
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Abstract
Information from Word press page of Amaq News Agency (ANA), ISIS’s “official” news wire, may always be instantaneously transferred across millions of computer screens and mobile phones by news outlets and commentators around the world (Winter, 2016) The preceding statement constitutes one of the key arguments of Charlie Winter, a Senior Researcher at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence (ICSR), in an article written in The Atlantic. The author goes on to say that ISIS terrorism doesn’t end when a bomb detonates. It continues for hours, days, and weeks after, living on through the media. which is true in the case of most of its attacks. Putting aside the Winter’s criticism of western media, the relationship between the mass media and terrorism particularly ISIS have often been described as symbiotic. The terrorists provide the media with emotional bloody news which then helps the mass media sell their products. Another less convincing but dominant criticism of the media (Perl 1997), (Spencer 2012), (Majoran 2015), (Rudoy 2016), (Doward 2015), (Bilgen 2012) is that Talibans, ISIS or the Jaosh-e Mohamed in Panthankot receive substantial media attention that lead to further violence. What these arguments often fail to recognize or note, however is that while media marathons and debates discussing the cruelties of terrorists like ISIS create and spread fear, induce panic and urgency, the mass media, in this case, western mass media, are at the same time manufacturing popular dissent for ISIS agenda and their use of terrorism as means for pursuing political change. More so, while ISIS’s “official” news wire, may always be instantaneously transferred across millions of computer screens and mobile phones by news outlets and commentators around the world, these commentators and news outlets often leave off vital information including about ANA, the groups goals, mission, vision, etc. which may lead-on an initially indifferent or nauseated individual to a sympathetic t-extrovert. T-extroverts are persons unexperienced but interested in the objects and actions of terrorists. So, how does the western mass media stage and manufacture popular dissent for ISIS agenda and use of terrorism as means for pursuing political change? This essay argues that two things are crucial in determining whether the mass media manufactures popular dissent or consent for ISIS agenda and terrorism as a means to an end. The first, is the western mass media’s global-focusing strategy on the group’s dehumanizing activities, mission, goals, struggles, challenges, and events that provided the generative force for their destructive operations in the Middle East and Europe. The second, a global spectacle of their actions and reasons for their actions (as though different from reasons of previous world and civil wars: power and glory, the pleasure of ruling, ideological day dreams, avenging wrongs, religious political or ethnic superstition) are key to dissuading terrorism as a legitimate means to political change. A close examination of multiples of tens of media reports on some of the most recent terrorist attacks in London, United States, Sweden and Brussels reveal the rhetorical devices and strategies employed by three news outlet to manufacture dissent among indifferent members of the audience and generate further nauseating feeling for extant queasy members of the audience. The essay proceeds as follows. The next section presents a very brief history of ISIS mission, goals, struggles, challenges and events that provided the generative force for their destructive operations in the Middle East and Europe, and provides empirical data to demonstrate how much attention the western media particularly CNN pays to these issues. Following this, the remainder of the essay will focus on the two mass media strategies for manufacturing popular dissent for the group’s activities as part of its contribution to the fight against using terrorism as a legitimate approach for seeking political change. The final section will draw conclusions that a skewed global-focusing and global spectacle of ISIS activities is a subtle art of downplaying important information that may arouse curiosity that can prompt an enormous pro ISIS deportment in other nations.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HE Transportation and Communications J Political Science > JA Political science (General) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences > School of Humanities |
| Depositing User: | Mrs Patricia Nwokealisi |
| Date Deposited: | 04 Sep 2017 11:18 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Sep 2017 11:18 |
| URI: | http://eprints.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/id/eprint/9082 |
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