Recent armed assaults in institutions of education, such as high schools located in Madison, Wisconsin, and Nashville, Tennessee, have drawn attention to a rising trend associated with youth who are drawn towards acts of mass violence. Experts studying extremist behavior find these instances challenging to define using the traditional categories applied for understanding radicalization, such as radical Islamist terrorism or white supremacist terrorism. Instead, they suggest that these incidents represent a new breed of ‘nonideological’ terrorism. They argue that such acts of violence seem to surface from an amalgamation of various antisocial, unstructured, online networks that inadvertently prompt young individuals to plan and execute heinous acts.
In December, a tragic incident occurred at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison where a student ended the lives of a fellow student, a substitute-teacher coordinator, and eventually her own. Fast forward to the following month, a similar incident took place in Antioch High School located in Nashville, where a student claimed his own life and the life of another student. Both instances showcased an apparent heavy influence of past mass murderers and a strong fascination with the opportunity of becoming a part of their notorious list.
Following the horrific events of the Columbine High School carnage in 1999, the rise of interest groups fixated on mass killings has dramatically increased across multiple social media platforms. Termed by experts as the ‘True Crime Community’ (TCC), members of these groups engage in detailed discussions about the historical backgrounds of the criminals involved and their methods of staging the attacks. Some TCC members even create and exchange narrative works that draw inspiration from real-life shootings.
Given the apparent association between the TCC and these students, this correlation merits investigation. Although experts assert that there are darker side of the internet that may subtly propagate acts of violence, the TCC has not generally been considered a part of that society. However, there is emerging evidence to suggest a growing linkage between the TCC and numerous planned school shooting plots, indicating a shift in who is susceptible to mass violence.
Studies are highlighting a change in the demographic of those who may be susceptible to violent ideologies. A researcher mentioned, for instance, the shared background of one of the students, who was a young black male. The age range of individuals who can potentially fall under these ideologies has seen a noticeable shift towards the younger age brackets, ranging from 13 to 18, according to one expert.
The influence of the TCC is also spreading towards women, leading one expert to observe that the TCC possibly carries the most balanced gender ratio in any extremist organization online. Pathways into the TCC differ across genders: whereas online communities focused on eating disorders draw women towards the TCC, young males often land there from the gore forums, which expose them to graphic videos involving violence, injury, and death. This involving content tends to desensitize them towards acts of violence potentially making them vulnerable towards radical ideologies centered upon self-harm and violence towards others.
With youthful projections of hormones, emotions, and feelings being common among this demographic, they easily impact an individual who may already be struggling with personal problems. When coupled with an echo chamber, these emotions can easily spin out of control and reach an undesirable destination.
A concerning development within this rapidly evolving online space is the influence wielded by online groups that sexually maneuver and exploit minors. One such network, nicknamed ‘764,’ refers to both a particular group as well as the broader category of communities that it represents. The actions undertaken by people affiliated with ‘764’ and its predecessor groups have thrown light on a steadily increasing concern law enforcement agencies have towards these subcultures.
The growth in reported cases of online child sexual exploitation concurrent to the increasing presence of these networks in the wider landscape of the TCC and other violent ideologies has raised alarm bells among child safety advocates. These networks have led law enforcement agencies to reevaluate and adapt their strategies in handling such cases.
Joining forces are counter-terrorism authorities and staff dedicated to crimes against children to address these issues in a more collaborative manner. One expert suggested that there is a necessity for a broader approach to be taken while dealing with these situations, as they are complex and involve layers of terrorism tied in with child victimization.
The challenge faced by analysts in this field is the lack of centralized data on plots involving mass shootings in the United States which hinders the development of a comprehensive framework for understanding non-ideological radicalization. With enough time and expertise, it is possible to populate this data, but the constantly evolving nature of these radicalization profiles may still prove elusive to investigators.
Experts stress that understanding the current landscape requires a continued investment in research. However, even with such a commitment, the uncommon nature of this radicalization pattern could baffle investigators. As the internet continues to grow and evolve, so does the complexity and unpredictability of these online networks, posing even more challenges to law enforcement and researchers.
The pattern we are seeing with these ‘nonideological’ attacks stresses the rising trend and influence of digital and online paradigms that are affecting today’s youth. With the internet providing an immersive environment, it’s becoming a breeding ground for cultivating harmful ideologies in susceptible young minds, which pose a disturbing threat to safety and security.
Law enforcement agencies and experts are using these recent attacks as a launching pad for understanding the nuances of nonideological terrorist incidents better. The emphasis, however, will remain on designing preventive strategies, such a comprehensive framework for tracking such activities, to prevent these horrific events from recurring.
As the trend becomes more prevalent, understanding its roots, motivations and implementation strategies become all the more vital. This subgroup of online communities presents a challenging and multi-faceted task that requires a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach.
While the complexity of these matters creates a daunting task for law enforcement and researchers, there is an urgent need for society to address these deep-seated issues. Going forward, proactive strategies and unified efforts are required to minimize the influence of these harmful threads that are reaching into the lives of our young population.