How Terrorists Use Digital Media and Video Games: Lessons from the Paris Attacks

The November 13, 2015 Paris attacks sparked global coverage via live updates from Le Monde, Reuters, and The Guardian, as well as Twitter hashtags. In the aftermath, analysis shifted to the causes of the violence, with some citing a clash of civilizations (echoing Samuel P. Huntington's 1996 book) and others pointing to irreducible religious differences. The article argues that digital media are used by both sides, but Islamist extremists have developed superior tactical use of technology. During the attacks, Twitter users created the #porteouverte hashtag to offer shelter, though coordination issues arose. Facebook activated its Safety Check tool for Paris, allowing over 4 million users to notify loved ones of their safety within 24 hours, easing pressure on emergency services. However, the tool was not activated for the previous day's attacks in Beirut, raising questions about selective attention. The article details how terrorists use the internet for propaganda, recruitment, financing, and training, including sharing bomb-making tutorials and even creating jihadist versions of the game Flappy Bird. Notably, it emerged that the PlayStation 4's Party Chat feature may have been used by attackers to communicate and plan, evading surveillance. The author, Caterina Porcellini, concludes that the terrorists' effective use of Western digital media undermines their claimed ideological purity and highlights the complexity of cultural divides.