stochastic terrorism

Noun

stochastic terrorism (uncountable)

1. (neologism, social media) Incites or inspires acts of terrorism which are statistically probable but happen seemingly at random,
   • All of this fits with what the anonymous blogger G2G had to say in his expanded definition of stochastic terrorism: “you heat up the waters and stir the pot, knowing full well that sooner or later a lone wolf will pop up and do the deed. The fact that it will happen is as predictable as the fact...2017, Clayton Delery, Out for Queer Blood
   • How does stochastic terrorism unfold in the course of real-world events? We propose a practical description of stochastic terrorism as an interactive process between the originator of a message, its amplifiers, and one of more ultimate receivers.2021 October, Molly Amman, J. Reid Meloy, “Stochastic Terrorism: A Linguistic and Psychological Analysis”, in Perspectives on Terrorism, →ISSN, page 3
2. (neologism, social media) Perpetuates fear through coverage of seemingly random acts of terrorism.
   • The joining of the two words, stochastic and terrorism, is originally attributable to machematician and catastrophist Gordon Woo, who used the term to suggest a quantifiable relationship between seemingly random acts of terrorism and the goal of perpetuating fear through mass media's coverage of...2021 October, Molly Amman, J. Reid Meloy, “Stochastic Terrorism: A Linguistic and Psychological Analysis”, in Perspectives on Terrorism, →ISSN, page 3