The marriage between ISIS and its people : the role of social media in the recruitment of females -

Abstract

This study examines how ISIS used social media, specifically Tumblr, to recruit females. The project creates a connection between social media, gender studies, and images to the larger ideological framework of ISIS. Explicit attention is given to how the overarching themes in the blog posts relate to the modes of address in an effort to address women. The study relies upon a qualitative textual analysis of three accounts that appeal to women who want to join ISIS and depicts the ideological framework of ISIS. The findings reveal that the way in which ISIS appeals to women through social media is constructed according to gender dichotomies and the scopic regime of images. Moreover, the recurring themes and modes of address in all the Tumblr accounts adhere to the ideological framework of ISIS in their recruitment efforts that pertain to women.