Luncheon on Social Media (Austin)

Please join us for a luncheon discussion on for a discussion on how extremists from all ideologies benefit from social media with Richard Green, Executive Director and co-founder of Clarion Project. 

Recent research sponsored by the National Institute of Justice has found that study samples of individuals in the United States who have engaged in violent and non-violent hate crime and other forms of extremist crime were influenced by social media.  A key finding was that extremists in the study group may mirror the general population in their use of various social media platforms, particularly in terms of reliance on Facebook.  Although the sample size was relatively small, and less than 20% of the study sample said they used Facebook, use of Facebook was found to be significantly higher than that of any other social media platform.  A similar study by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), confirms that finding and determined that emerging communication technologies, and social media platforms in particular, play an increasingly important role in the radicalization and mobilization processes of violent and non-violent extremists.  However, the extent to which extremists utilize social media, and whether it influences terrorist outcomes, is still not well understood.  START’s research confirmed that online social media platforms are playing an increasingly important role in the radicalization processes of U.S. extremists.  The study showed that lone actors (i.e. individuals who were operationally alone in their extremist activities) were particularly active on social media.  From 2005-2016, social media played a role in the radicalization and mobilization processes of 68.12% of the lone actors in the PIRUS data.  In 2016 alone, social media factored into the radicalization and mobilization processes of 88.23% of the lone actors in the PIRUS data. By comparison, from 2005-2016, social media factored into the radicalization of 50.15% of individuals who were members of extremist groups or radical cliques.  Despite the increased usage of social media among U.S. extremists, user-to-user communications do not appear to increase the likelihood that extremists will be successful in traveling to foreign conflict zones or committing acts of domestic terrorism.  While social media does not appear to increase the success rates of extremist outcomes, evidence suggests that it has contributed to the acceleration of radicalization of U.S. extremists.  Mr. Green will discuss how extremists from all ideologies use social media and how social media by design aids them.

Richard Green is the Executive Director and co-founder of Clarion Project, a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to expose and reduce the threats of extremism to create a safer world for all.  Clarion Project’s primary focus is to protect the West from extremists who threaten our safety and security by exposing and reducing threats through media and providing intel to law enforcement.  Clarion Project is helping Americans understand the realities of our evolving culture – a reality the mainstream media is not adequately conveying.  In 2017, Green founded the Clarion Intelligence Network (CIN), which fills a crucial gap in national security by monitoring and exposing extremist threats to law enforcement.  Richard Green has become recognized as a national expert on extremism through his work with CIN. Including white nationalism, far-left groups such as Antifa and BLM, and Islamic terror activities, frequently consulting with law enforcement officials and presenting National and Regional Security Briefings to select audiences.  He is a sought-after speaker for topics such as the threat of online extremists and movements that incorporate anti-Jewish hatred.