One More Question for Daniel Cohen: Is ISIL’s media campaign that sophisticated?

One More Question

The Heat interviewed Daniel Cohen, research associate at the Institute for National Security Studies about the Islamic State’s use of social media. Cohen is the coordinator of the Military and Strategic Affairs Program and the Cyber Warfare Program at INSS. CCTV America’s Anand Naidoo asked Cohen one more question about whether ISIL is getting more credit for sophisticated production techniques and social media than it really deserved.

“They’re using, maybe simple technology that every youth of today, from this generation, can use, but they are doing it in a more sophisticated way… with a slick campaign. When you add all the videos, that are high quality, it’s not something that someone from the street can do easily. But when you take the videos, the social media campaigns, gaming communities that are also affected over there, publications,” he said.

“when you take it altogether, full campaign, it’s a new media campaign that’s very sophisticated in its message and how they transfer it to the recruitment or support, when they want to share the message. Even when they want to influence the citizens of the West and the decision-makers in the West. It’s not technology that’s sophisticated, but the message and the idea that’s behind it.”