Terrorist recruiters and social media prosumers: The role of identity in ISIL recruitment and propaganda

This thesis generates new understandings on the role of identity in ISIL’s recruitment and social media propaganda by examining how recruiters tailor propaganda to Australian Muslim men. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and the author’s Hybrid Identity Framework (HIF), this thesis examines the ISIL-inspired social media activity of three deceased Australians. This thesis finds that ISIL propaganda communicates a central ideological narrative that followers utilize as a template for identity negotiation, expression, and communication. ISIL encourages prosumption of its propaganda in order to draw upon their followers social and cultural capital to radicalize and recruit prospective members.