Daily Beast Reports That ISIS Meme Groups Are Growing On Facebook

Over the last few years, ISIS's profile subdued significantly. Following their initial charge in the early-to-mid 2010s, in which the group used the interconnected world to spread beheading videos and snuff films, the group became the United States' primary target. And within the decade, the U.S. defeated the group, winning back the final pocket of territory in Syria controlled by the Islamic State and effectively ending their physical caliphate.

However, the group continues to grow online, a new report from the Daily Beast reveals. With a growing army of digital warriors ready to bring their western memes to the fore, ISIS's online footprint "has grown exponentially since 2014." Today, "Facebook" :/memes/sites/facebook/ groups like "Company for the 'Clanging of the Memes'" have more than 11,000 followers. However, since the report was published, the page is no longer available.

The report shares a wealth of information on meme-usage within the group, from what memes they enjoy to their contradictory understanding of characters. Take Drake, for example, whose popular Drakeposting format was a go-to in the group. While "Hardcore Jihadist Drake" says "no to Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the founder of the Nusra Front, the former al Qaeda affiliate in Syria," but approves of "balaclava-wearing militants of ISIS," the group isn't against posting images of Drake on the verge of being beheaded.

Other characters expose this kind of contradiction and hypocrisy. Memes featuring "SpongeBob SquarePants" :/memes/subcultures/spongebob-squarepants and Tony Stark frequently appeared on the page, the Daily Beast claims. However, it seems like neither character's subtext bothered them, whether they be SpongeBob's "LGBTQ+" :/memes/cultures/lgbtq following or Stark being the "embodiment of America's military industrial complex turned U.S. government-contracted counterterrorist."

This type of behavior isn't uncommon within extremist groups. Using pop culture figures, jokes and memes, these groups, whether they be the Islamic state or websites like The Daily Stormer, attempt to ingratiate themselves to different subcultures or would-be recruits. "Displaying the terrorist attack in memes reduces the psychological barriers to openly discuss certain topics, and eventually to engage in violent acts," writes Friederike Wegener of the Global Network on Extremism & Technology. "The Russian owned website and app "iFunny" :/memes/sites/ifunny/ is among those forums that have become increasingly popular with the far-right: Some members have potential linkages to the recently dissolved neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division."

These cultural signifiers help to ease new users into the world of extremism, softening the blow of violent and hate-fill ideas. "By hijacking these webpages and strategically placing hate-filled memes in these forums," writes Wegener, "Normal users are 'collaterally' exposed to the far-right ideology. Milder versions are used as 'gateway drugs' to hard extremist content, and they lure users into echo-chambers." In these cases, Walter White from Breaking Bad becomes a welcome face that can help make the jump from irony to hate crime.

While many have noted that these tactics have worked within far-right groups, perhaps most-notable in the aftermath of the Christchurch Mosque shootings in 2019, the Daily Beast reports that the Islamic States is more than happy to take this technique and run with it.