Digital weapons in a post-conflict society

This chapter will explore the relatively under-researched issue of how social media is used in relation to paramilitary style assaults in Northern Ireland. Drawing on the preliminary findings from an ongoing study by the authors, it will explore how social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are being monitored by the police in order to identify such incidents and to encourage citizens to report them to the authorities. The chapter concludes by assessing the impact of the #stopattacks campaign and the role of community-based organisations and youth workers in establishing an alternative discourse in this area.