US State Dept and ISIS compete for hearts and minds in the digital space

The US State Dept and ISIS are competing for hearts and minds in the digital space - not just on the battlefield. An article published today in the New York Times explains the strategy and tactics that the US State Department is employing to challenge with the sophisticated social media presence that ISIS has created. The Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communication is the department tasked with contesting the content that ISIS and other terrorist groups create and post to their globally-followed social media accounts on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, as well as their proprietary websites. In order to be effective, the Center is posting mostly in the native languages of the countries in which ISIS has followers and is controlling land, rather than targeting Americans. 

While the State Department has generated a large following, it is undeniable that it faces some major hurdles to effectively connect with the Middle East community, let alone change their thinking, namely;  
1) ISIS and other, similar groups can rely on their network of believers and followers to amplify their messaging for them. This band of "brand advocates" allows ISIS' message and content to quickly be shared and seen by a larger network than their immediate follower base. Since the US State Dept doesn't have similar "fanatical fans", they must work harder to get their message heard. 
2) The US State Dept must also tackle the issue of " brand trust" before hoping to craft a convincing message. Many Middle Easterners are inherently distrustful of American "propaganda" - in fact one 2006 study shows that the longer 394 Middle Eastern students listened to US sponsored radio or TV, their perceptions of the US worsened. This prejudice requires the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communication to measure their messaging to avoid coming off as manipulative or intolerant of Middle Eastern values. 
3) Like many other large institutions and corporations, The US State Dept must vet their messaging and content through an approval process, which can often be the death of timely social media. ISIS obviously doesn't have the "PR" concerns that the US State Dept has in terms of Western Media jumping on a misguided tweet or inconsistent policy. Individual actors like foreign Ambassadors as well as the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communication must balance the desire to have a thoughtful and professional social media presence but still be nimble. This problem is one that the US government and Fortune 500 companies alike are struggling to overcome. 

It's too early to asses whether the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communication's efforts are in vain. However, like many other social media players, the US State Dept worries that not having any presence is worse than not having an active following.