1. How to Mobilise Through Social Media
Rachel Briggs
Director of Research and Policy
14 May 2013

2. Overview
The Problem: who and what are we mobilising
against?
The Response: counter-campaigns and digital
disruptions
The Challenge: how to mobilise and up-scale?

3. 1 The Problem

4. Who and What?
VIOLENCE
Incitement
Coordina.on
Recruitment
EXTREMIST
NARRATIVES
Hate
speech
Glorifica.on
‘MODERATE’
FAR
RIGHT
‘Common
sense’
extremists
MAINSTREAM
Creeping
xenophobia

5. How are Extremists Using Social Media?
From ‘march and grow’ to ‘tweet and grow’ – social media as a recruitment,
organisation and fundraising tool
‘Lifestyle Extremist’: use of music, popular culture, merchandising, mini breaks
Ideological reinforcement (private): strengthening the core support base
Brand cleaning (public): reaching out to new audiences, influencing mainstream
policy/politics
Multi-media/multi-platform: high end production, Facebook/YouTube, away from
static websites, guerrilla marketing, videoing flash mobs, ‘fun’ campaigns
Respect your enemy: praise for Islamist content/tactics, ‘must see’ videos

6. 2 The Response

7. The Tools Available
Intelligence
Law
enforcement
Counter-­‐
Campaigns
Counter-­‐
Campaigns

8. Counter-Campaign Spectrum
Government
Strategic
Communica.ons
Counter-­‐
Narra.ves
Alterna.ve
Narra.ves
Digital
Disrup.ons

9. Lessons Learned
Clarity
of
goals
It’s
not
about
winning
Emo.ons
vs
evidence
Sustained
vs
sporadic
ac.vity
Professionalism
Viral
is
a
red
herring
Online/offline
Piggybacking
off
what
works
Subversion,
humour,
shock

10. 3 The Challenge

11. Mobilising and Up-Scaling
Motivation: keeping people interested over the long-term
Expertise: ensuring the right people are equipped for the task
Resource: mismatch between those who can and those who have
Time: the challenge of working with ‘volunteers’
Organising: coordinating without controlling, role of government
Scale: from small-scale efforts to ‘greater than the sum of its parts’
Being Smart: playing to our strengths and their weaknesses not the other way around

12. Rachel Briggs
Director of Research and Policy
rbriggs@strategicdialogue.org
www.strategicdialogue.org
www.counterextremism.org
www.againstviolentextremism.org