Structural Analysis of ISIS Supporter's Network on Tweeter: A Case Study

Mir Mohamad Sadeghi, Milad; Ghavam, Abdul Ali; Mozaffari, Afsaneh

doi:10.22054/nms.2021.47707.854

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

¹ PhD student in Social Communication Sciences, Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.

² Professor of International Relations department, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran. Supervisor

³ Assistant Prof., Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch ,Tehran, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22054/nms.2021.47707.854

Abstract

Using Social Network Analysis (SNA), the present article explored a network containing 7885 people and 9927 ties among Arab-speaking ISIS supporters on Twitter. The aim of this research was to explore the structure of the relationship among previously mentioned users, investigate the advantages and disadvantages of this structure for ISIS, and identify the key nodes based on centrality measures. Based on the findings of this study, the network of the Arab-speaking ISIS supporters in Twitter during February and March 2019 consisted of a decentralized deep structure with a long diameter and clusters which had a weak tie with one another and the whole network. This structure could lead to flexibility, stability, and agility of the network and it could also preserve the anonymity of the key ISIS supporters. The researchers determined the nodes with the highest centrality scores and divided the ISIS supporters into 3 distinctive groups: key users, connectors, and followers.

Keywords

20.1001.1.25382209.1400.7.25.4.3

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New Media Studies

Structural Analysis of ISIS Supporter's Network on Tweeter: A Case Study

References

References

Volume 7, Issue 25 - Serial Number 25
March 2021
Pages 134-107

Structural Analysis of ISIS Supporter's Network on Tweeter: A Case Study

References

References

Volume 7, Issue 25 - Serial Number 25March 2021Pages 134-107

Volume 7, Issue 25 - Serial Number 25
March 2021
Pages 134-107