Popular China-based video sharing platform, TikTok that has become widespread across the globe has taken down at least two dozen accounts being used by ISIS to spread propaganda and recruit followers.
The terror group posted anthems by the so-called Islamic State, armed ISIS militants as well as footage of corpses and women proclaiming to be “jihadist and proud.” The social media application has especially gained popularity among teenagers and as such ISIS lurking with videos places the most impressionable and vulnerable members of the society at risk.
TikTok’s rules explicitly prohibit criminal organizations from using the app, but the company says enforcement of such guidelines is a problem that all social media companies face. A TikTok spokesperson said none of the videos had more than double-digit views. Popular TikTok videos can rack up tens or hundreds of thousands of views.
According to reports the videos and accounts taken down had videos and content that were tailored to target the young audience. The rhyme, beat, evocative lyrics and punchy delivery are especially appealing to youth and has seemingly become more effective than sermons or theological debates as the catchy nature sticks longer in the collective memory.
It is apparent that while ISIS appears to have been defeated, its presence online cannot me measured seeing as it exploits social media platforms that youths and teenagers go onto unsupervised and pass on the propaganda and as such still recruiting followers as well as sympathizers. Social media offers a unique challenge of the fact that monitoring content posted and or shared is becoming more elusive. And such, groups such as ISIS take advantage to mobilize crusaders to conduct attacks and advance its agenda in different parts of the world despite the ISIS-Central in Iraq and Syria having been defeated.
