RT Article
T1 Analysing labels, associations, and sentiments in Twitter on the Abu Sayyaf kidnapping of Viktor Okonek
JF Terrorism and political violence
VO 29
IS 6
SP 1026
OP 1044
A1 Reyes, Joseph Anthony L.
A1 Smith, Tom
A2 Smith, Tom
LA English
YR 2017
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1870735889
AB This article investigates Twitter data related to the kidnapping case of two German nationals in the southern region of the Philippines by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). It explores perceptions of the ASG, along with associated organizations and sentiments indicated in the tweets together with statistically significant relationships. Findings revealed that: “Rebel” and “Militant” were the most frequently used labels for the ASG; a majority of the tweets contained sentiments that assess threats such as abduction and kidnapping of hostages; and almost half contained words that indicate negotiation or concession to the demands of the captors. Logistic regression analyses on “Rebel” and “Islamist” revealed positive coefficients for these sentiments used as predictors. This meant that people who assessed threats and expressed sentiments that responders should concede to the captors’ demands were more likely to use the “Rebel” or “Islamist” labels. Rather than the two longstanding dominant narratives of the ASG as terrorists and criminals, the emerging rebel and militant labels suggest a more domestically and politically sensitive Twitter commentary than is represented in the work of the Al-Qaeda-centric paradigm exponents. These findings, along with the complex associated political and policy contexts and implications, are discussed in this article.
NO Gesehen am 21.11.2023
NO Published online: 14 Dec 2015
K1 Abu Sayyaf
K1 Islamist
K1 kidnapping
K1 Militant
K1 Mindanao
K1 rebel
DO 10.1080/09546553.2015.1105798