Critical thinking as a tool against violent extremism

Social media is bursting with millions of ideas and thoughts shared every second of every day worldwide. Knowing how to critically evaluate and understand where this information is coming from has become an important part of addressing groups with violent extremist and terrorist agendas.

These groups use social media as a way to spread divisive propaganda and draw in sympathizers and new recruits. The threat of their activities has only amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. With social restrictions imposed to contain the virus, reliance on social media and the internet has grown. This has opened the door for groups with violent extremist and terrorist agendas to further exploit insecurities while also undermining trust in government responses for dealing with this pandemic.

To help offset these extremist and terrorist agendas on social media, civil society practitioners, like David Ruah from Portugal, are taking action to change the narrative by promoting messages of mutual understanding, tolerance and diversity, and equipping people with knowledge to protect themselves. Such action helps to reduce the appeal of violent extremist messaging and build community resilience to its influence and dissemination. “We all have a duty to do something to prevent violent extremism and to contribute to a democratic society that effectively protects human rights,” David says.

Motivated by his family’s Jewish origin, David began working on social injustice issues as a response to past violent acts such as the Inquisition and the Holocaust. He helped launch ‘Humans of Tomorrow’ in 2016 and ‘2Think’ in 2018, two social media campaigns designed to address hate speech and violent extremism.

The ’Humans of Tomorrow’ campaign grew out of a youth innovation lab by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue in London. The aim of the campaign is to share resources and positive narratives on Facebook to create a more inclusive and open dialogue between people. David places particular importance on personal stories, which, he says, allow people to develop empathy and generate public debate.

‘2Think’ is a video campaign on the 2ThinkCritically Facebook page that explains how to recognize common fallacies in arguments used to influence people’s thinking. The aim is to help people, particularly young people, learn how to evaluate information, news and stories they consume, including on social media, to protect themselves from manipulation and possible recruitment by violent extremists.

Media and digital literacy education

Campaigns like ‘Humans of Tomorrow’ and ‘2Think’ are examples of civil society efforts to increase media literacy, particularly among young people. At its core, media literacy is the ability to assess information and its sources, credibility and value. This essential skill helps people effectively deal with news, information, and narratives that could potentially divide societies and promote violent extremist ideologies.

Training courses through the OSCE’s Leaders against Intolerance and Violent Extremism (LIVE) Initiative help participants refine their skills on media and digital literacy and the use of social media. Participants learn about the roles of media, social media and narratives related to violent extremism and its prevention, as well as how to craft messages for their communities and identify credible messengers. They also use the training to design original, impactful and relevant initiatives for responding to factors contributing to violent extremism in their communities.

Watch the interview with David Ruah here:

Open source educational materials on media and information literacy can be found on UNESCO’s Online MIL and Intercultural Dialogue Courses website. UNESCO has also developed a manual for educators about violent extremism: Teacher’s Guide on the Prevention of Violent Extremism. 

The interview with David Ruah was filmed on the margins of the OSCE Perspectives 20-30 Initiative, which aims to integrate youth voices in the OSCE’s efforts to promote peace, stability and comprehensive security. The Initiative also provides a platform for young women and men to discuss their vision with decision-makers for building a safer future for the OSCE area in 2030 and beyond.