A terrorism expert from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem has said that Western agencies must target social media as their highest priority in the fight against Daesh.

Adam Hoffman said in a briefing that social media platforms are especially dangerous because they allow terrorists to reach many recruits at once and to court them over time.

Mr Hoffman said: “Attracting more and more people is not just a tactical move, it also shows Western countries and Muslim states that Daesh has been successful.”

Using social media, terrorists can “target very specific audiences and individuals, tailoring the general message”, he said.
Mr Hoffman added that one tactic used by Daesh to maximise the exposure of their messages was to “hijack hashtags”.

The technique invloves Daesh publishing a video together with unrelated but popular hashtags to grab the attention of users who are not necessarily supporters already. Recent examples include using hashtags associated with the World Cup and the Scottish referendum.