In a world of ever-changing cultural and political climates, news outlets have been on high alert to stay ahead of the curve. Nowhere is that more true than with the rise of Islamic extremists’ bringing nude celebrity photos and videos to their audiences daily.
For some, these images can be both fascinating and disturbing – one might ask why extremist groups are preying on celebrities in this way. However, insight into their methodology reveals a coordinated strategy which puts image sharing at the forefront – driving massive amounts of visibility for their cause.
The aim is to make celebrity nudity as accessible as possible in order to attract media attention from all over the world. By attaching a controversial topic like celebrity nudity to religious extremism, extremist organizations are attempting to capitalize on an infamously inflammatory topic for maximum effect.
The primary method of disseminating these nude images and videos is through websites or social networks devoted exclusively to the area of religious extremism – often featuring a library archives containing nude photos or direct links to other websites dealing with nudity and porn related issues. Additionally, information is spread through various cell phone messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Telegram which also serves as an effective platform for sharing viral videos featuring nude celebrities.
Not only do these sites generate traffic based on voyeuristic curiosity but also helps spread awareness regarding certain Islamic principles among teens, college students and younger generations who are increasingly tech savvy. Therein lies the question: Is this really just clickbait content meant simply to captivate viewers by exploiting moral panics bordering around faith and sensuality? Or could it actually have implications related to enhancing user engagement?
What cannot be denied here is that watching nude celebrities has become a part of everyday life for many people in our society and most likely will not be going away anytime soon— no matter how much Islamic extremists may try to push it away from public view and morality.