Threats to society in the digital age: the phenomenon of online radicalization

The phenomenon of Radicalization has always been a matter of interest in human dynamics, especially as regards social groups. Following the information and communication technologies (ICT) revolution, many scholars and psychologists tried to understand how this phenomenon may occur within online contexts. The current paper intends to give a review about the impact of the setting on the Radicalization potential, which may occur inside real and “virtual” groups. State of the art was analyzed considering environmental and psycho-social factors, and the most recent experimental evidence. The purpose of this work is to bring insights to model the Online Radicalization phenomenon in order to identify future perspectives to investigate, and to extend knowledge and strategies to the containment of Violent Radicalization dynamics.