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The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) offers an escape—an easy way out—for disenfranchised youth and markets a desirable product: family and glory. They cater to the masses of unemployed youth who are ripe to fall into their trap. All of this goes to show the danger that this terrorist group poses as it sinks deeper and takes root in impressionable minds around the globe. It regularly takes hold of newspaper headlines and grips the attention of the world with each act of gruesome violence. Secretary of State John Kerry referred to this group as “savages” who carry out “valueless evil” acts. This statement is hardly the case. ISIS is no rag-tag group of religious extremists. Although hell bent on the violent destruction of everything that varies from their strand of Islam, it is a structured group driven by educated, strategic leaders who are tech-savvy and calculated in their plots to further their agenda. They have created a marketing system that reaches both the worldwide population and a specific group for recruitment, while operating on a level that is nearly impossible to shut down.

Its motives are driven by extreme violence coupled with impeccable timing and delivery methods that span the face of the earth. This group uses social media—namely Twitter and Facebook—to attract followers and spread their message. Dabiq, the ISIS magazine promoting a worldwide caliphate, was for a time, available on Amazon for 22$ with a guaranteed 48-hour window of delivery. Recently, a video was released of the perpetrators of the Paris attacks from when these men were back in Syria. This intentional release of the video ensures full attention from the media while demonstrating ISIS’s premeditation and displays a direct link to the attack. This video was released after the initial media craze of the strike to guarantee its attention from viewers.

ISIS thrives off of the population’s knowledge that these attackers came from a known terrorist hotbed and penetrated an influential and iconic center of western culture. This goes to show that there is a much deeper, strategically grounded agenda for the group. It is nerve-racking to think of the scope and audience that ISIS has already contacted and influenced directly. I see firsthand how social media and technologically rooted propaganda infiltrates the consciousness of people around the world. ISIS taps into this mainstream media with the precision and accuracy of a 15-year old who knows all the best ways to get 5,000+ likes on their latest Instagram post. They are up to date on the most current marketing strategies and find the most effective way to spread the message.

Each attack—be it a gruesome beheading, a caged burning, coordinated suicide bombings—is carried out with a specific purpose, directed at a specific audience, and exploited by these terrorists. These are no amateurs.

-James Shalvoy