Somalia's Al-Shabaab and Social Media

Jane's Intelligence Review published in March 2014 a good analysis titled "Hashtag Shabaab: Islamists Develop Sophisticated Online Strategy" by Richard Evans, director in the Intelligence, Security and Risk division of IHS Aerospace, Defence, and Security Consulting.

The author concluded that al-Shabaab and its supporters have developed a broad and sophisticated online communication strategy using multiple social media platforms to reach a global audience.

Al-Shabaab has exploited social media to engage with its supporters, adversaries, and the mainstream media, and has successfully shaped the news agenda through micro-blogging platforms such as Twitter.

However, al-Shabaab faces significant challenges in using social media to directly influence people to support its agenda or attract new recruits.

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