The Role of Digital Media in Countering Extremism Narratives: The Case of Jordan

Abstract

This study examined how digital media, particularly Facebook short videos, countered and facilitated extremist narratives in a Jordanian context. It employed a descriptive–analytical design and qualitative multimodal content analysis on six purposively selected short videos posted between May 1 and July 31, 2025. The analysis coded verbal (spoken and on-screen text), visual (symbols, composition, overlays), and audio elements (tone, pacing, music/effects) to identify dominant frames and recruitment-oriented persuasive patterns. The findings showed a recurring cross-case configuration in which religious legitimation established moral certainty, grievance and victimhood intensified outrage, us/them binaries and othering narrowed moral boundaries, and emotional appeals (anger, fear, pride, shame) accelerated judgment and strengthened in-group alignment. In several videos, these frames culminated in a shift from ideological positioning to action orientation. The study indicated that effective counter-narratives in Jordan should target the same persuasive architecture by reopening interpretive space, decoupling grievances from violence-supportive solutions, reducing polarization and moral exclusion, and addressing emotional urgency through credible, context-sensitive messaging and resilience-oriented education.