Self vs Social Radicalization in Lone Wolf Terrorists

Research in the field of lone wolf terrorism has provided varied results on the main factors which cause this type of terrorism. As the world has become increasingly interconnected via the internet, researchers argue whether there are truly any lone offenders. Therefore, this research project will investigate whether self (i.e., investigate radical material on their own) or social (i.e., influenced by a specific person or group) radicalization is most prevalent in lone wolf terrorists by using secondary data analysis to examine 10 lone wolf terrorists. All offenders must have used the internet in their radicalization process, and social versus self-radicalization will be determined by examining their online behavior. The results of this study aim to help better define whether lone wolf terrorists are truly alone in the digital age of technology.