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Dr. Eid discusses his new book and the term he coined: "Terroredia"

Interview with Mahmoud Eid, IGI Global Editor of Exchanging Terrorism Oxygen for Media Airwaves: The Age of Terroredia

By IGI Global on Jun 23, 2014

"The advancement of today’s media and communication technologies has given terrorism more power than ever. The role of communication in general and the media in particular is fundamental in the processes of crisis management, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and so on. But this role is a double-edged sword, as it can help de-escalate a severe stress situation as much as it can also exacerbate it." - Dr. Mahmoud Eid
Exchanging Terrorism Oxygen for Media Airwaves: The Age of Terroredia

Exchanging Terrorism Oxygen for Media Airwaves: The Age of Terroredia

Terroredia is a term coined by editor Dr. Mahmoud Eid to explain the phenomenal, yet under-researched relationship between terrorists and media professionals in which acts of terrorism and media coverage are exchanged, influenced, and fueled by one another. Dr. Eid recently took some time to speak with IGI Global Promotions Coordinator, Ann Lupold, on his new book Exchanging Terrorism Oxygen for Media Airwaves: The Age of Terroredia, further defining this new term and what it will mean for the future of media and society.

IGI Global: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you become involved in the study of terrorism and the media?

Dr Eid: As a methodologist, I have been always interested in rigorous research projects that can challenge existing literature and scholarship. I am interested in and passionate about employing the most relevant and effective tools and approaches to foster the creation of theoretical knowledge and professional practices that strive to serve public interests and the betterment of society. As a communication scholar, I am fascinated by studying severe stress situations, such as crises, conflicts, acts of terrorism, disasters, and so on. I am most interested in studying these situations, because unexpected crisis situations—as opposed to normal scenarios—uncover a wide array of dimensions pertaining to communication strategy, such as issues of ethics, decision-making, and serving the public’s interests. In other words, studying and analyzing a phenomenon while decision-makers face a severe stress situation may uncover unethical, irresponsible, or ineffective practices and decisions that may cause more harm to the public in addition to that of the situation itself.

In most of my research and publications I have focused on studying one of the most severe stress situations—the crisis. Crises are so severe because once they occur they cannot be resolved (as in the case of conflicts), overcome (as in the case of disasters), or solved (as in the case of problems); but can only be managed. Also, a crisis is more likely to lead to other severe stress situations than the reverse. The United States-Iraq crisis has led to two wars (the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 War on Iraq), while numerous conflicts have occurred (military raids, etc.) in-between the two wars. In this context, terrorism (e.g., 9/11) has been also involved.

Terrorism has recently become one of the most frequent severe stress situations. With the advancement of today’s media and communication technologies, it has become more influential than ever. The role of communication in general and the media in particular is fundamental in the processes of crisis management, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and so on. This role is a double-edged sword, as it can help de-escalate a severe stress situation as it can also exacerbate it. For terrorism, this role is much more complicated due to the various types of actors involved, whether being direct and indirect terrorists and decision-makers as well as direct and indirect targets and victims, the various tactics of terrorism (bombings, assassinations, suicide missions, hijackings, kidnapping, missile attacks, mass disruption/mass destruction, cyber-terrorism, etc.), the various motivations and goals, and so on. According to game theory, this reality complicates the decision-making of all parties involved (including the media) given that it has to be rationalized according to the individual terrorist tactic and the players involved.

Explain “terroredia”. How did this term come about?

The relationship between terrorism and the media has been described in various terms; most notably, that it is a symbiotic relationship. However, I argue that this relationship requires inquiry that goes beyond the simple process of “symbiosis,” which implies both “interaction” and “mutual dependence.” This is because the term symbiosis refers to an interactive relationship of mutual benefit or dependence. Instead, inquiry into the relationship between terrorism and the media must combine the notion of interaction with issues pertaining to symmetrical and asymmetrical “codependency.” The idea of codependency may involve some sort of control or manipulation if the relationship is imbalanced. However, it is challenging, while possible in rare instances, to find a perfect process of codependency—instead, an imbalance is most common. Hence, codependency can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. While symmetrical relationships indicate equality, as both parties are equally dependent on each other to function, asymmetrical relationships indicate that one party is more or less dependent than the other. Being more common, it is important to note that asymmetrical codependency can sometimes demonstrate a parasitic relationship in which one entity is the parasite and the other is the host. Moreover, the two entities can manipulate, leverage, or abuse each other for their own betterment. This is true of the relationship between terrorism and the media as the media coverage of some terrorist events can be more, (sometimes) equally, or less beneficial to terrorists than the media personnel, depending on the nature of the tactic of terrorism, the terrorist’s obtained volume of public attention and other achieved goals, and the direct profits and benefits gained by the media.

While the interaction, the symmetrical codependency, and the asymmetrical parasitic codependency between terrorism and the media warrant the term “relationship,” they also imply a process of exchange (or exchanging). Each party has methods of strength or power; albeit in the meantime, requires basic needs to survive. Terrorism has tactics of violence, force, and coercion while the media have the power of reaching and influencing the opinions, attitudes, and behaviors of wide-ranging audiences. Meanwhile, in order for both to survive, terrorists seek to garner public attention and the media seek to find top-stories to sell. In a sense, both parties target wide-ranging audiences (although for different purposes); hence, they interact in a highly toxic relationship that involves a process of exchange necessary for their survival. The exchanging process contributes to the survival of each party; acts of terrorism provide media stories that result in more broadcasting airwaves, press texts, and digital data bytes, while the media coverage brings public attention to terrorists—the oxygen necessary for their existence. The more the audiences are widespread the more both parties benefit and achieve their goals—i.e., the more they survive and grow. This point is fundamental in emphasizing the inevitable and inseparable benefits both terrorists and media personnel share. Therefore, this multifaceted relationship that is rooted in interaction, codependency, and inseparability necessitates a representative term. Thus, I introduce the term Terroredia and its following definition to reflect on this relationship: Terroredia is the interactive, codependent, and inseparable relationship between terrorism and the media, in which acts of terrorism and their media coverage are essentially exchanged to achieve the ultimate aims of both parties—exchanging terrorism’s wide-ranging publicity and public attention (i.e., oxygen) for media’s wide-ranging reach and influence (e.g., airwaves). The equation in this relationship is simple; the more terrorist attacks accumulate, the higher the multiplication of media broadcasting airwaves, press texts, and digital data bytes. The reverse is also true; the higher the level of exacerbation, sensationalization, and manipulation by the media, the more terrorist attacks are committed.

What were some of your most interesting findings in the research and development of the book?

This book provides comprehensive understandings of a wide range of issues surrounding terrorism in relation to both the traditional and the new media. I introduce the new term Terroredia to explain the phenomenal relationship between terrorists and media personnel for achieving goals of both parties. Terrorists’ awareness of how to use the media and how to avoid being used by them is in conflict with the media’s efforts to benefit from covering acts of terrorism while carefully avoiding to be used by terrorists—creating a relationship whose adversaries are competing and increasingly becoming able to maximize their payoffs from one another. This book is the first attempt to look into some fundamental aspects of Terroredia, mirroring terrorism and the media within specific contexts of interrelated relationships in a unique book structure that opens up a sort of dialogue between terrorism and media scholars.

In addition to introducing and defining a new term, Terroredia, and reflecting on it in an interesting book structure of mirroring some of its aspects and contexts in the relationship between terrorism and media, I have also provided a comprehensive definition of terrorism based on objective and balanced understanding and analysis of the existing numerous discussions and definitions of terrorism. I discuss subjectivity in defining terrorism, the distinctive nature of the contentious concept of terrorism in comparison to other forms of violence, and how communication and media are fundamental in achieving terrorism’s ultimate aim of obtaining public attention. By eliminating controversial definitional items and features, I provide the following definition of terrorism: Terrorism is the persistent, shocking, premeditated, covert and/or overt, individual and/or collective, and direct and/or indirect threat and/or use of conventional and/or modern and military and/or nonmilitary tactics of violence, force, and/or coercion that is/are initiated and/or retaliated by and against individuals, groups, organizations, governments, and/or states, on national, transnational, and/or international levels, resulting in complete or partial severe loss/injury of lives, destruction/damage in properties, and/or other physical atrocities and inducing terror and/or other psychological effects, in order to gain wide-ranging public attention beyond that of the immediate targets, through the use of and/or by traditional and/or new media, communicating messages that may (or not) be rooted in specific motivations, aiming to help achieve specific predetermined agenda and/or desired ends.

Where do you see the future of terroredia in regards to its role in society? What effect is technology going to have in this area?

I believe that intensive research into Terroredia is required. This book is the first attempt to look into some individual aspects of Terroredia, mirroring terrorism and the media within specific contexts of interrelated relationships. Terroredia can be understood in conjunction with the emergence of the idea of new terrorism, which is partly characterized by causing extraordinary massive damages and the use of new tactics. Terroredia in our present era can result in newly born tactics of terrorism, such as cyber-terrorism. Cyber-terrorism is one example of the modern tactics of terrorism that can cause huge harm in numerous industries and fields.

With the advancement of modern information technologies and the Internet, terrorists gain public attention through not only the mainstream media but also the new media, including those of their own. In fact, terrorists use the Internet as a tool both to obtain and to disseminate information. The advent and growing use and popularity of the Internet has allowed for a transformation in the ways in which terrorists communicate with their adversaries, making the dissemination of their ideas to their target audiences much easier, faster, and exactly as intended without any alteration. Cyberspace allows terrorists almost full control over the contents of their messages, and the advancement of information technologies can help increase international terrorist activities. On the media side, information and communication technologies open unprecedented platforms for seizing public attention, and consequently achieving a major goal for the media during times of terrorism—i.e., reaching a wide-ranging public audience.

Who could most benefit from this publication?

It is hoped that this book will be of interest to students, researchers, scholars, media personnel, policymakers, and the general public. The multifaceted contents of this book can serve readers across various disciplines, such as: communication, conflict resolution, criminology, crisis management, cultural studies, information and communication technologies, international relations, media, national security, political science, psychology, sociology, and terrorism. Readers are well served with intensive chapters that include great details and specific topics, which are grouped under major themes such as: definitions and understandings of terrorism and the role of the media during times of terrorism, terrorism manifestations and media representations of terrorism, types of terrorism and media stereotypes of terrorism, tactics of terrorism and media-related strategies, functioning of terrorism and employing of media during terrorism, new terrorism and the media and the new media and terrorism, contemporary cases of terrorist-media interactions, and the rationality of terrorism/counterterrorism and the corresponding media responsibility.

Is there any message you would like to give to your readers as it pertains to your book?

Leading, well-known, and widely published international scholars who are engaged in the most relevant, cutting-edge practices and theorization have contributed chapters in this book in their respective specializations in terrorism and media studies. The book’s structure follows a unique strategy that divides the arrays of interrelated chapters into two perspectives—“terrorism-focused” and “media-focused”—mirroring each other throughout all eight sections of the book. This “mirror” format demonstrates to readers various elements inherited in the relationship between terrorism and the media. Each section includes two chapters—the first is terrorism-focused and the second is media-focused—which both cover the theme of the section about a major context within which both terrorism and the media are interrelated.

Many thanks, Dr. Eid, for your willingness to elaborate on your research and new book.

For more information on this publication, visit the Exchanging Terrorism Oxygen for Media Airwaves: The Age of Terroredia page. This publication is part of the Advances in Human and Social Aspects of Technology (AHSAT) Book Series.

Mahmoud Eid is an Associate Professor at the Department of Communication, University of Ottawa, Canada. Dr. Eid is the author of Interweavement: International Media Ethics and Rational Decision- Making (2008), co-author of Mission Invisible: Race, Religion, and News at the Dawn of the 9/11 Era (2014), editor of Research Methods in Communication (2011), and co-editor of Basics in Communication and Media Studies (2012) and The Right to Communicate: Historical Hopes, Global Debates, and Future Premises (2009). Dr. Eid is the Editor of the Global Media Journal- Canadian Edition, serves on the editorial boards of several academic journals and as an organizing committee member for various international conferences, contributed several book chapters and journal articles, and presented numerous papers at global conferences. He has led and collaborated in projects for Public Safety Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and various other Canadian and international institutions. His research interests focus on international communication and media studies, communication and media ethics and effects, terrorism, crisis management, conflict resolution, Islam, Arab culture, Middle East politics, media representations and ethnic studies, research methods, and the political economy of communication. More information on Dr. Eid at his website: http://www.mahmoudeid.ca/.

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