Online environments are compressing radicalization from years to months

Evidence

The internet is not only increasing the reach of radicalization but also appears to be shortening the timeline for radicalization. Traditionally, the radicalization process may take years, but “recent evidence … suggests that online environments may be speeding up radicalization processes, reducing them to several months in many cases.” Another common pathway to radicalization appears to be engaging in criminal activity. A substantial percentage of radicalized individuals in the PIRUS data and in the groups of former radicalized individuals interviewed in other studies engaged in crime prior to radicalization (in PIRUS, a mean of 39 percent across groups). This suggests that crime can serve as a gateway to radicalization—or at least indicate a proclivity for violent behavior. — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America, 177

Categorization

• XREF: Accelerated online radicalization may imply a correspondingly shallower ideological commitment — a testable wrinkle for how durably formers’ identities change versus how quickly the withdrawal-of-conflict approach might work. — connects to: Political events can re-trigger radical feelings years after an extremist exit. — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America:…, 457; Automated recommendation feeds can expose teenagers to thousands of radicalizing videos — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 381; Ordinary, otherwise unremarkable people can become radicalized through online research — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 3 (+1 more)